Moddu Srinu killer test COVID +Ve after death, Vizag prison authorities in tizzy

Vishakapatnam : Authorities at Vizag Central Prison are on the edge after murder convict Mallela Om Prakash tested positive for COVID 19 after his death.

The 53-year-old prisoner, who was serving life imprisonment for killing jail mate, died of alleged renal failure at KG Hospital in Vizag city on Sunday.

Om Prakash had murdered Julakanti Srinivasa Reddy alias Moddu Srinu, who was accused in the TDP MLA Paritala Ravi's murder case, by smashing his head with a dumbbell in the jail on November 9, 2008.

Om Prakash tested positive for Covid-19 after his death on Tuesday.

Initially, the authorities suspected that Om Prakash died of renal failure. However, the officials were waiting for the post mortem report to establish the exact cause of his death.

Om Prakash had been undergoing dialysis for some time. On Friday, he underwent dialysis but complained of difficulty in breathing.

Superintendent of Vizag Central Prison, S Rahul said Om Prakash was admitted to King George Hospital (KGH), where he breathed his last in the early hours on Sunday.

The medical and health department officials collected swabs and he was tested positive for the virus after his death.

The authorities immediately swung into action to trace the primary contacts of Om Prakash who spent most of the time in a separate cell.

As a precautionary measure, a total of 282 prisoners underwent the COVID-19 test on Tuesday. The staff and officers will undergo the COVID-19 test on Wednesday.

The medical and health department staff has disinfected the Central Prison.It may be recalled that noted cine director Ram Gopal Varma made a film on Paritala Ravi's life and Bollywood actor Vivek Oberoi played his character in the movie