Five foreign nationals held at Imphal airport

IMPHAL, January 28: At least five foreign nationals including a couple from Switzerland and three Australians including a lady were detained by the State police this afternoon as soon as they arrived at the Imphal airport for violating the Restricted Area Permit (RAP) and Protected Area Permit (PAP) regulations. According to official sources, the Swiss couple who were reported to be bhaktas (devotees) of ISKCON were first detained by the police for not possessing the RAP or PAP to enter the state. The police officer on duty in Imphal airport contacted the ISKCON authorities in Imphal this afternoon for confirmation. However, none of the ISKCON members responded and turned up to receive the couple, the source said. On the other hand, three Australians including one lady who were holding valid documents for entry upto Jorhat only were detained by the state police in Imphal Airport when they arrived there this afternoon. None of the five tourists could not be sent back today due to non-availability of air tickets. Later they were put up at the Hotel Nirmala. They are likely to be sent back by flight tomorrow.