Indian-origin hotel owners arrested in US for 'hiding' fugitives

New York, Dec 15 (IANS) Two Indian-origin hotel owners have been arrested in the US state of Tennessee for allegedly lying to the police about the whereabouts of fugitives whom they hid inside their building. Dakshaben Patel and Harshil Patel, who own the Super 8 and Mountain Inn in Monteagle, were each charged with felony on Wednesday for making false reports to police officers during an investigation on July 18, Fox News reported. The Monteagle Police Department said their officers had been conducting surveillance on the rear of the hotel due to "high drug transition" in the area. They spotted two individuals on the balcony, and identified them as having felony warrants out of Franklin County. Officers chased the wanted suspects on foot and quickly took them into custody. After interrogation, investigators 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 Patel subjects had been advised multiple times about the wanted suspects and had lied to officers about their residence at the hotel," the department said in a release. --IANS mi/vd

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