Bhubaneswar: As a part of its strategy to check crime rate and also at the same time nab criminals in the twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, the Commissionerate Police will soon launch the mobile App, ‘Atithi’.
The App is especially for hoteliers to share details about their guests with the local police. They will have to provide information under the ‘Sarai Act’, 1867.
Hoteliers have been asked to check the authenticity of the identity proofs their guests provided at the time of check-in. This apart, the police commissionerate have also directed local police station to conduct surprise visits to hotels and lodges for inspection and take action if any violation is found.
If the hoteliers share the details of their guests with the police and check their identity proofs properly at the time of check-in, crimes can be controlled to a great extent, sources said.
They informed that if the identities had been done properly the death of Jharaphula Nayak could have been avoided. The Rama Devi Women’s University student had checked in with her boyfriend at a guest house at Dhrama Vihar under Khandagiri police limits here January 26. The next day morning, her body was found dumped by the roadside near Mulapal under Kuakhia police limits in Jajpur district. Her boyfriend later confessed to his alleged involvement in the death of Jharaphula.
Similarly, two criminals had looted Rs 27 lakh from an ATM counter located in Infocity locality in Bhubaneswar October 10 night last year. Before committing the crime, they had stayed at two city hotels and planned the robbery meticulously. Sources said that had their identities been checked properly by the hotel management, they could have been nabbed even before they committed the crime. In this case, the accused duo was arrested by the Vizag police in Andhra Pradesh.
PNN
