Bhubaneswar: In the backdrop of the sensational SIM box recovery case – having cross-border links – which exposed the lacunae on the part of the City police in maintaining records of tenants living in private properties, Twin City Police Commissioner Sanjeeb Panda Friday said a plan is underway to initiate strict action against landlords if they failed to share detailed information about tenants with police before renting out their premises.
Sources in the police said though the plan is at a nascent stage, clear guidelines for landlords, including flat and house owners, will be communicated soon. As per an earlier order issued by former police commissioner Rajendra Prasad Sharma in March 2015, landlords sharing wrong information about their tenants with the police could face jail terms extending up to six months, along with a cash fine of Rs 1,000.
In a report February 5 this year, Orissa POST underscored the inefficiency of the Property Offence Prevention and Detection (POPD) unit – a dedicated cell to maintain a strict tenant verification module at police stations- had resulted in a spate of offences by dubious tenants in the City. These anti-property offence units, launched in 2021 across 23 police stations, mandated compulsory verification of tenants’ criminal antecedents from their native police stations before landlords let out their homes. The specialised units are supervised by Assistant Commissioners of Police (ACPs) in their respective zones, assisted by a SI-rank officer, to monitor the crime graph across local police stations.
The Orissa POST report, with detailed inputs from DCP Prateek Singh, highlighted that a proper mechanism was still to be in place that could maintain the personal details of each tenant in the City. In March 2015, Sharma announced that every landlord must furnish the necessary details of tenants before local police stations. He said the landlords must submit complete information about their tenants in a declaration form to the concerned police station every two months. For senior citizens, or those having problems visiting police stations, he suggested they provide the information through e-mails.
DEBADURLLAV HARICHANDAN, OP