Kochi | Two Kenyan nationals have been arrested for illegally staying in Kochi, police said on Saturday.
Eglay and Pamela were taken into custody for remaining in India despite the expiry of their visas.
The Kalamassery police have registered a case against them for staying without valid travel documents and failing to submit the mandatory C Form, which is used to report the stay of foreign nationals to the Bureau of Immigration.
The accused have been arrested and remanded to judicial custody, police added.
During questioning, police learned that the duo had been living in various cities, including Bengaluru, Delhi, Mumbai, and Chennai, without contacting the Kenyan embassy, renewing their passports, or applying for an extension through the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO).
The police have also named Sabith, the owner of a service apartment where they were staying, as an accused in the case.
He was charged for failing to submit the Form C transmission, a legal requirement when accommodating foreign nationals, police said.
Police found that he had not obtained the necessary C Form registration for his apartment, making it impossible to transmit the required data.
The transmission of Form C is crucial for national security, as it records and updates details of foreign nationals staying in the country.
The FRRO has clarified that if foreigners are accommodated in establishments without C Form registration, a case will be registered under the Foreigners Act, police said.
Additionally, institutions such as hospitals, hotels, and service apartments that house foreign nationals are legally required to complete C Form registration to ensure compliance with immigration regulations, they added.
