Chandigarh, April 21: Chandigarh Police booked five landlords in Burail, Sector 45, for allegedly renting out more than 180 rooms and shops without carrying out mandatory tenant verification, officials said on Sunday.
The action came during a targeted inspection led by Police Post–Burail, where multiple tenants were found occupying congested spaces without valid identity documents or prior clearance from authorities.
Five properties were flagged for non-compliance, and FIRs were filed against Gyan Singh, 58, who reportedly operated 40 and 28 rooms across two buildings; Kehar Singh, 75, who ran 48 rooms; Satpal, 47, who operated eight rooms and six shops; Pradyuman Singh, 58, and Bhupinder Singh, 58, both of whom managed 10 and 22 rooms each.
They were booked under Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, which pertains to disobedience to an order promulgated by a public servant. The section provides for up to six months of simple imprisonment or a fine of ₹2,500, or both, in cases of minor obstruction. If the disobedience causes danger to life or safety, the punishment may extend to one year of imprisonment or a fine of ₹5,000, or both.
“This drive sends a clear message that there will be zero tolerance for violations of tenant verification norms,” said UT Senior Superintendent of Police Kanwardeep Kaur. “Landlords have a legal and social responsibility to ensure proper background checks of those living in their properties,” she added.
Officials noted that tenant information sheets are now being circulated across Burail to initiate detailed background verification processes and trace past records of current occupants.
