17 foreigners arrested in Patna for violating visa norms

Seventeen foreigners with Kyrgyzstan passport and tourist visa have been arrested for violating visa rules by attending religious preaching, said Upendra Sharma, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Patna, on Tuesday.

"On March 23, as many as 17 foreigners were arrested from Digha and Phulwari with Kyrgystan passport. Though they had come here on tourist visas, they were attending the religious preaching," Sharma told reporters.

He further said, "After detaining them, they were tested for COVID-19 at AIIMS. As their tests came out to be negative, the doctors asked them to be on quarantine. However, they were again tested after some reports of Tablighi Jamaat attendees dying due to coronavirus infection. They were again tested negative."

"These 17 foreigners have now been put behind the bars after registering a case under Section 14B of Foreigners Act for violating tourist visa rules," added Sharma.

( With inputs from ANI )