Indonesian preachers who tested positive for coronavirus booked in Telangana
A case has been registered against a group of 10 Indonesian preachers, who had tested positive for the coronavirus in Telangana after attending the Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi last month.
The Indonesians were booked for alleged negligence and disobedience to the order issued by a public servant, the police said on Monday.
They had travelled from New Delhi after attending the Tablighi Jamaat meeting and reached Ramagundam on March 14 by train and then arrived in Karimnagar in Telangana in a private vehicle. This was one of the earliest reported cases from the Delhi meeting in India.
Along with the 10 Indonesians, two persons from Delhi who had travelled along with them to Karimnagar and some locals, who had provided them accommodation without following norms were also booked, police said.
They were booked for spreading the epidemic, defying government orders and for acting in contravention of the Foreigners Act and violating tourist visa norms.
The Indonesian preachers, who visited Karimnagar on a "tourist visa”, had not informed local district authorities about the purpose of their visit and instead were involved in religious activities and were 'preaching' to locals, police said.
The group stayed in Karimnagar for two days until one of the Indonesians fell sick with suspected symptoms of coronavirus.
On directions of the police, he was shifted to an isolation ward of a government hospital in Karimnagar and from there, all the 10 members of the group were referred to the state-run Gandhi Hospital in Hyderabad where all of them tested positive for the virus.
Four locals who had closely moved along with the Indonesian preachers, contracted the virus from them and were undergoing treatment while the Indonesians continue to remain under quarantine, police said.
Cases were registered under Sections 269 (Negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life), 270 (Malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life), 188 (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) and 420 (Cheating) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) besides relevant sections of Epidemic Diseases Act, Disaster Management Act and Foreigners Act, the police said.
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Monday said that the 10 Indonesians had recovered and were being discharged. However, they are likely to remain in the custody of the police, pending investigation of the case.
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