FIRs have been registered against five tourists for staying at a resort in Vatekadu, Hodduru village, by obtaining medical passes after furnishing false information, in violation of the lockdown regulations. An FIR has also been filed against the owner of the resort. The Madikeri rural police have registered the cases.
Resort owner Vinod Chinnappa, tourists Benaka Kumar, Sandeep, Vinay, Padmashree and Rakshina have been taken into custody by the police. A car used by them has also been seized. Chinnappa had provided wrong information about the health of his mother and availed pass on April 14, to call the others to Kodagu.
The tourists are from Bengaluru and Tumakuru. The incident came to light during a joint raid conducted by the Madikeri rural police and the Kodagu CCB police. Earlier, another resort was temporarily sealed by the district administration, for accommodating tourists during the lockdown.
District Superintendent of Police Suman D Pennekar said that some people from outside the district have been trying to go to the resorts and homestays in Kodagu, violating the orders. Stern action will be initiated against such people and also against owners of the resorts, she added.