J&K Police raid hotels over Form-C violations

The Jammu and Kashmir police conducted a massive drive against several hotels and a homestay for violating the mandatory Form-C reporting norms required under the Immigration & Foreigners Act in Srinagar on Monday. The drive was conducted close on the heels of the detention of a Chinese national who had entered Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir without permission and later stayed in an unregistered guest house in Srinagar in the last week of November 2025. The drive was conducted across several ‘hot spots’ of Srinagar frequented by foreign tourists.

Official sources claimed that after the Pahalgam terror attack, over 2500 foreign nationals have visited the valley along with domestic travellers. The Chinese national was detained by the security forces after he was allegedly found using a social media app for chatting. At present, the police officials are trying to join the dots and figure out the purpose of his visit to Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir, especially when, as per his tourist VISA, he was only permitted to visit Buddhist religious places in Varanasi, Agra, New Delhi, Jaipur, Sarnath, Gaya and Kushi Nagar.

According to a police spokesman, in the Rajbagh area, Hotel Blossoms, Hotel Grand MS, and Hotel Golden Forest had allowed foreign nationals to check in without submitting Form-C to the Foreigners Registration Office (FRO). Accordingly, FIR No. 65/2025 U/S 8 & 23-B of the Immigration & Foreigners Act was registered at Police Station Rajbagh. Similarly, in the Khanyar area, Hotel Khyber, located in Khayam, was also found violating Form-C reporting requirements. Despite repeated instructions, the management failed to produce any proof of Form-C submission. As a result, FIR No. 57/2025 was registered under relevant sections of law at Police Station Khanyar, the police spokesman said.

In the busy Lal Bazar area, IMY Home Stay, Nowabagh Bagwanpora, owned by Mohammad Aslam Baktoo, S/o Late Habibullah Baktoo, was found operating without Form-C compliance for Starobinsky Lior, a foreign national from Israel, along with others. The management had deliberately concealed the stay of the foreign guest and failed to submit the mandatory online Form-C reporting. Accordingly, FIR No. 60/2025 U/S 8 and 23(b) of the Immigration & Foreigners Act was registered at Police Station Lal Bazar.

In another hotspot of the Nishat area, a house owner, namely Mohammad Ashraf Zargar, S/o Mohammad Ramzan Zargar, R/o Vakeel Colony, Brein, was found in non-compliance with the mandatory reporting of Form C to FRO. In this connection, FIR No.  101/2025 U/S 8-23(b) of the Immigration and Foreigners Act was registered in Police Station Nishat.

In RamMunshi Bagh, several houseboats occupied by foreign nationals during their brief stay in the valley were found to be violating the norms. According to a police spokesman,  Floating Castle owned by Farooq Ahmad Guroo S/o Late Gh Nabi Guroo R/o Ghat No 15 Nehru Park, boarded by Lee Ya Hui of Taiwan, Best View Houseboat owned by Farooq Ahmad Kutroo S/o Ali Mohd Kutroo R/o Ghat No 09 Da Lake, boarded by Maistruik Sergel of Russia , House Boat Crystal Palace, owned by Gh Hassan Karnai S/o Haji Gh Mohammad R/o Abi Karpora Dal lake, boarded by Naum Silviu of Romania and Houseboat Lake Palace, owned by Mohammad Altaf Gunna S/o Habibullah Gunna R/o Abi Karpora Dal Lake, boarded by Eduardo Tejerina Gonzalee of Spain, was found in violation of the norms for mandatory reporting rules. In this connection, FIR no. 94/2025 U/S 7,14, and 16 of the Immigration and Foreigner Act was registered in Police Station RM Bagh.