In Tennessee, two Indian-origin hotel owners, Dakshaben Patel and Harshil Patel, were arrested for allegedly providing false information to the police regarding the whereabouts of fugitives they were harboring inside their hotel building. The charges, filed on Wednesday, accuse the duo, who own the Super 8 and Mountain Inn in Monteagle, of felony for misleading law enforcement during an investigation on July 18.
The Monteagle Police Department had initiated surveillance at the rear of the hotel due to reported high drug activity in the vicinity. During the operation, officers observed two individuals on the balcony, later identified as having felony warrants from Franklin County. Pursuing the suspects on foot, law enforcement swiftly apprehended them. Subsequent questioning revealed the existence of a concealed room on the corner of the building, where the fugitives had been residing.
The investigation exposed that the Patels had repeatedly been informed about the wanted suspects but had allegedly provided false information to the officers regarding their residence in the hotel. Both Dakshaben Patel and Harshil Patel now face legal consequences for their alleged role in misleading law enforcement during the pursuit and arrest of the fugitives.
(With Agency Inputs)
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