The passport of British national David Peter Python, who was detained by the cops on Feb. 25 here for failing to produce valid documents for his stay in India, was taken away forcefully by a hotelier in Goa January as he did not pay a bill of Rs 26,000, the police have said.
The fact came to light after Tiruchanur cops, who are probing the case, made an enquiry at the hotel in Goa where the Briton stayed for a while before landing up in the pilgrim town. Tiruchanur police detained David, a former British Army official, as he could not produce his passport and visa for his stay. A case was filed against the Briton under Section 14 of the Foreigners Act and he was sent to judicial remand up to March 12. Later, the remand was extended by 15 days.
David admitted that his tourist visa got lapsed and he had lost his passport in Goa in Jan. second week. Cops then went to Goa and enquired from the owner of the hotel, where David stayed. Hotelier told cops that he seized David’s luggage as the Briton could not pay a bill of Rs 26,000. Though he said he was not aware of passport, cops found that the owner had intentionally seized the document.