Multiple police teams visited hotels, lodges and guesthouses across Calcutta on Wednesday, enquiring about whether the establishments were maintaining proper records of visitors and checking if their CCTV cameras were functioning.
The move followed a virtual meeting of the Kolkata Police commissioner on Tuesday, where all divisional commissioners and other senior officers, including the officers in charge of police stations, were instructed to intensify security checks in the aftermath of the Delhi car blast.
"Specific instructions have been given about what to check in hotels, lodges and guesthouses and how to conduct naka checks on key thoroughfares. A standard operating procedure (SOP) is already in place, and officers have been instructed to follow that while intensifying the vigil," a senior police officer said at the Kolkata Police headquarters in Lalbazar.
On Wednesday afternoon, officers from Park Street police station visited guesthouses and hotels on Royd Street, Free School Street, and Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Road to scan the guest registers and verify the type of identity documents submitted to book accommodations.
Similar exercises were carried out in other parts of the city, including New Market, Gariahat, Bhowanipore, Garfa, Anandapur, Phoolbagan and New Alipore.
"We wanted to see if some of these hotels and lodges were using one ID card for a room, even if more than one person was checking in. That is a violation. The ID proofs of all guests must be maintained, and the police stations must receive a list of the visitors every day with their details," a senior officer of the south division of Kolkata Police said.
Others said, apart from checking the registers, the drives during the day were aimed at finding out whether the CCTV cameras were functional and if the footage was being stored properly.
Senior officers at Lalbazar said the officers in charge of police stations were reminded about how criminals allegedly involved in the Paras Hospital shooting in Patna had put up in a hotel on Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Road and at Anandapur in July.
Two separate FIRs were drawn against the two hotels for allegedly not adhering to the SOP when guests check in.
During the investigation, it emerged that neither the men submitted adequate identity documents to the guesthouse, nor did the landlord inform the local police station about the guests.
In July, the special task force (STF) of Kolkata Police arrested four men accused of gunning down gangster Chandan Mishra inside Patna’s Paras Hospital from a guesthouse in Anandapur.
The gang was led by Tauseef Badshah, whose face became public from CCTV footage collected from the hospital. He and four others were seen entering the cabin where Mishra was admitted.
After committing the crime, Tauseef and his men fled to Calcutta.
The SOP that hotel and lodge owners must follow includes collecting the guests’ identity details and informing the police.
"Any document that is produced as an identity proof apart from the ones recognised must be cross-checked with the local police station before accepting it," an officer said.