COVID-19: Quarantined Indonesian Tablighi group booked for violating visa norms

Hyderabad: Telangana police have registered a case against 14 Indonesian nationals who were a part of a team that visited Karimnagar town after attending the Tablighi Jamaat congregation at New Delhi last month.

Police have booked them under section 420, 188, 269, 270 of the IPC, Epidemic Diseases Act and the Disaster Management Act 2005. The case was registered in Karimnagar I town police station on Monday

All the members of the group were found with COVID like symptoms at a mosque at Karimnagar, after which they were shifted to Gandhi hospital at Hyderabad. They were later tested positive and treated at the isolation ward of the Gandhi hospital. Last week they were discharged from the hospital. Currently, they are under 14 days of quarantine.

The Karimnagar police was acting on a complaint filed by A. Indrasena Reddy- Inspector of police - Karimanagar. According to him, accused Qosim Seh Mafbrur Suciantor, Purwanto, Yusuf Palaya, Suwinto Sastro Utomo, Agit Kuswanto, Moch Qoyum Syafik, Oding Mukhtar , Abdul Majid, Nurali Abdul Hakim and Hidayat, visited India on a tourist visa to attend the Tablighi Jamaat. The religious meeting organized contradicted the visa rules and violated the worldwide lockdown. The team, later, with the support of on e Mohammad Adil and Khursheed Ahmad reached Ramagundum'.

It was found that this group had traveled in AP Sampark Kranti Express from Delhi to Ramagundam. Later they traveled to Karimnagar by road. They moved around Mukarampura which is very close to the Karimnagar Collectorate for a few days. They had even visited the Collectorate premises during their stay at Karimnagar. " The team in a seven-seater auto travelled to Karimagar with help of locals, and took shelter in Ahmediya Masjid _ Mukharampura - Karimanagar . Later of the Indonesians fell sick and was admitted to the local hospital and subsequently all were tested positive'. According to the police, three people in Karimnagar who were in close contact with the Indonesians were also tested positive.

Officials told media persons that the case was registered against them for not following the visa guidelines and violating the orders from the local government. After this group tested positive, a few more people who were in close contact with them, also tested positive, forcing the government to declare the Karimnagar area as a red zone and impose prohibitory orders under section 144 of CrPC.