Cops barge into foreigners’ apartments sans warrant

According to the victims, Arumbakkam Law and Order Inspector Kannan and another policeman knocked on the door of an apartment in their jurisdiction where these music teachers, Mathias from Switzerland, David from UK and Jones from the US (names have been changed on request) were staying at 2.30 am and demanded to see their passports. When the trio objected to the police invasion in the wee hours, the policemen started shouting and refused to provide a clear answer to why they came to inspect the apartment post-midnight. The victims told DTNext that the policemen falsely accused them of using drugs and threatened them. 

“When we refused to give in to their unjustifiable demands, Inspector Kannan told us that we all three of us will have to come to Arumbakkam police station on Saturday morning and hand over our passports. We kept on asking them what the charges against us were and whether they have a search warrant. But they did not reply but kept on shouting at us,” Mathias said. The cops, who were in uniform, allegedly spent close to 45 minutes inside the apartment, abusing and threatening the teachers. The foreign nationals had told the police about their assignment with a leading music school, but the policemen were in no mood to listen to them. The officials finally left when the musicians told them that the issue would be taken up with the media and with the concerned consulates.

Mathias, who is a German citizen living in Switzerland, has already brought the incident to the notice of the German Consulate in Chennai. The Consul General has assured him to escalate the issue with the concerned higher authorities, if the problem persists. When contacted, Joint Commissioner of Police, West Zone, Santhosh Kumar told DTNext that he was not aware about the issue. “We are conducting raids at mansions, lodges and serviced apartments as part of the preparations for Babri Masjid demolition anniversary which falls on December 6. But I am not aware of this issue and if there was some misbehaviour from the side of our men, we will investigate and action would be taken against the police personnel,” he said.