Two Indian-origin hotel owners in the US state of Tennessee have been arrested for purportedly lying to the police about the whereabouts of two absconders who were hiding inside their hotel, according to media reports.
Dakshaben Patel and Harshil Patel, who own the Super 8 and Mountain Inn in Monteagle, were arrested on Tuesday, Fox News reported.
They allegedly lied to police officers about the whereabouts of wanted persons during an investigation on July 18, the Monteagle Police Department said.
Two police officers had been conducting investigation on the rear of the hotel due to “high drug transition” in the area and spotted two persons on a balcony, police stated. The police officers recognized the persons as having felony warrants out of Franklin County.
Investigators later found that the hotel had a “hide-out room on the corner of the building” and determined that was where the fugitives had been living, police said.
“Both hotel owners had been advised multiple times about the wanted suspects and had lied to officers about their residence at the hotel,” the department said.
Dakshaben and Harshil were each charged with making false reports to police officers, which is a felony.
