Fake papers, excuses to enter Himachal; cases filed

Pratibha Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, July 9

People keen to flock to the cool and safe climes of the hills of Himachal are resorting to all sorts of unfair means, including fake Covid test reports and false excuses like a death or marriage in the family.

A couple, hailing from New Delhi, was booked by the police as they gained entry into Kangra from Nurpur inter-state barrier on the basis of a forged Covid (negative) test report purportedly issued by Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in Delhi. A case of cheating and forgery has been registered following verification from the hospital. The couple, traced to a hotel in Bhawarna, near Palampur, was quarantined. If they test negative, they will be arrested.

In another case, five youth, including three women from Noida, were apprehended at Bajaura barrier, near Kullu, as they tried to gain entry on the plea that there was a marriage in the family, which was found to be false. The Kullu police have sent back more than 100 tourists without valid documents from UP, Delhi, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Punjab, Chandigarh and Haryana. With a majority of the hoteliers in Kullu-Manali, Shimla, Dharamshala and Dalhousie against the reopening, tourists are getting bookings done in homestays.

With several such cases being reported in the last five days since Himachal opened its borders, the apprehensions of locals over Covid spread do not seem to be unfounded.