Srinagar, March 23 – Police in the Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir said on Monday that a case has been filed under the Immigration and Foreigners Act against a hotel in Pahalgam for failing to report the stay of 23 foreign nationals.
A police spokesman said a case has been filed against the hotel for violating the Immigration and Foreigners Act by failing to report the stay of foreign nationals, including 19 British citizens.
Hotels are required to submit the mandatory online Form C, which registers foreign nationals. Police said during routine checks in the Dehwatoo area of Pahalgam in Anantnag district, it was found that 23 foreign nationals, including 19 British nationals, had checked into Hotel Misty Mountains Laddi on the evening of March 22.
"The hotel management wilfully concealed their stay from the Pahalgam Police Station and failed to submit the mandatory Form 'C', thereby violating the provisions of the Foreigners and Immigration Act, 2025 and compromising prescribed security protocols," the police said.
Accordingly, a case was registered at the Pahalgam Police Station under relevant sections of the law, and an investigation was initiated.
The police in Anantnag have urged all hotel operators to strictly comply with legal requirements regarding the reporting of foreign guests.
In late 2025, a Chinese national named Hu Congtai was detained for illegally visiting Ladakh and Kashmir without the required permits and violating his visa conditions. There have been no reports of a broader, ongoing issue of numerous Chinese nationals illegally staying in Ladakh.
Hu had arrived in New Delhi on a valid tourist visa restricted to specific Buddhist circuit destinations (Varanasi, Agra, Jaipur, etc.). Ladakh was not among the permitted locations.
He flew to Leh, Ladakh, on November 20, 2025, without registering at the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) counter, a mandatory legal requirement for foreign nationals.
Security agencies were alerted by "unusual internet chatter" and found his phone history included searches for topics such as Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) deployments and Article 370. He also visited areas of strategic importance near military installations.
Following an investigation, Hu Congtai was deported to Hong Kong and blacklisted. Authorities also initiated a crackdown on local hotels and guesthouses for failing to file mandatory Form C for foreign guests.
