By Vijay V Singh
The BMC has filed an FIR with the city police against actors Arbaaz Khan and Sohail Khan and the latter’s son Nirvaan Khan for violating mandatory hotel quarantine rules for international air travellers. They had returned to Mumbai from the United Arab Emirates on December 25, 2020, and informed government officials that they would quarantine themselves at Hotel Taj Lands End. Instead they directly gone home and cancelled their hotel booking.
Police booked the three on Monday under IPC Sections 188 for disobedience to an order duly promulgated by a public servant and 269 for a negligent act which is likely to spread infection of a disease dangerous to life.
BMC officials said on Monday they learnt that the Khans had violated hotel quarantine rules and misled government officials. They checked the details with Sohail Khan as well as the hotel before filing a police complaint against them. The hotel management told the officials that the three had not checked in for quarantine.
The BMC officials visited Sohail Khan’s residence on Monday and he told them about his arrival along with his brother and son. Sohail reportedly told officials at the airport they all tested negative for the virus so they decided to go home directly. BMC officials said they have taken up the issue seriously.
The assistant municipal commissioner of H-West Ward therefore wrote to the police seeking action against the three. Thereafter, police recorded a BMC health officer’s statement to register the FIR. The health officer is a complainant in the case.
After the outbreak of the UK strain, the government had made it compulsory for people arriving from or via Europe, the Gulf or South African countries to undergo seven days of mandatory quarantine. They can be discharged from these facilities after seven days once they test negative for the virus and need to home quarantine themselves for seven more days. ( TOI )
