Nagaon: Are some hotels and rented houses in Nagaon becoming safe havens for criminals? Are certain suspicious individuals using hotels and rented houses (Nagaon Rental Crime Network) in residential areas of Nagaon town to prepare blueprints for criminal activities while living there as tenants? Are criminals using these hotels or rented accommodations as secure locations to evade police surveillance? Following the recent killing of notorious robber Khairul Ali in police firing, such questions have emerged in the minds of concerned citizens of Nagaon .
It is noteworthy that police sources revealed that the notorious robber Moni alias Khairul Ali, who was killed in police firing on the night of May 25, had allegedly stayed at a hotel named “Star” in Nagaon while planning several robbery operations. Nagaon Senior Superintendent of Police Partha Pratim Das stated before the media yesterday that the gang used to gather at Star Hotel to plan various criminal activities. The same gang was allegedly involved in the attack on a doctor couple in Morikolong, during which Ruprekha Bhuyan Saikia, wife of Dr. Ranjit Saikia, lost her life.
In this context, questions are being raised about how secure the hotels and rented houses in Nagaon really are. Significantly, the rapid employment growth and economic expansion of Nagaon town have created an unprecedented boom in the rental housing market. Every year, thousands of students, working professionals, and families come to the town for various needs. However, behind this growing real estate sector, a vast, unregulated, and illegal black market has allegedly developed. Some house owners in Nagaon town are reportedly running highly profitable rental businesses completely illegally without providing any information to the local administration or police. As a result, not only is the government losing a substantial amount of revenue, but these places are also potentially becoming safe shelters for criminal activities.
The most concerning aspect of this unregulated rental business is the complete disregard for the mandatory police verification process for tenants. According to existing laws, every landlord is legally required to submit the full identity and details of tenants to the local police station. However, in Nagaon town, this rule is allegedly being ignored. Most landlords reportedly rent out houses without properly verifying identity documents or informing the police. This administrative negligence poses a serious threat to public safety. Since such rented accommodations remain outside the police radar, they could potentially become shelters for anti-social elements, drug traffickers, cyber criminals, or extremists. Moreover, if a tenant commits a crime and absconds, local authorities and police often have no records or documentation available, hampering the investigation process. In a rapidly growing town like Nagaon, such an uncontrolled environment could lead to major dangers at any time.
Similarly, the possibility of criminals taking shelter in hotels across Nagaon town also cannot be ruled out. Importantly, beyond security concerns, many landlords are also allegedly deceiving both the state and central revenue departments. Many house owners in Nagaon reportedly insist on accepting rent only in cash. By avoiding digital payments, cheques, or bank transfers, they leave behind no financial records. Through this tactic, they allegedly conceal the actual income earned from rental properties or underreport it before the Income Tax Department. Likewise, since many of these rental businesses are unofficial, landlords also reportedly evade paying the proper property taxes due to the Nagaon Municipal Board.
At a time when many honest citizens regularly pay income tax from their hard-earned money, these landlords are allegedly earning lakhs of rupees without paying taxes and running a parallel black economy openly before the government’s eyes. The new BJP-led government in Assam has consistently emphasized transparency and a zero-tolerance policy against corruption and lawlessness. In such a situation, concerned citizens believe that the administration should take strict action against the unregulated and illegal rental housing business in Nagaon town.
Concerned residents of Nagaon have demanded that the district administration introduce a fixed deadline for mandatory registration of all rental houses and compulsory submission of tenant information to the police.
They also believe that the Income Tax Department should monitor large residential buildings in Nagaon and audit the properties of landlords earning through cash transactions. Furthermore, they have suggested launching a special digital portal or helpline number through which citizens can confidentially report illegal commercial rental operations running in residential areas.
For both public safety and the economic development of the state, a properly regulated rental housing market is considered extremely necessary for Nagaon.
Nagaon Police-Dacoit Encounter: Notorious Dacoit Khairul Ali Killed in Police Firing