E-Paper
17 cops sent into isolation as samples of 2 dead bodies found Covid-19 positive
Sources said that these personnel had remained near the body for nearly an hour for carrying out preliminary investigations
As many as 17 personnel, including high-ranking police officials, in Ludhiana were sent into isolation after two bodies recovered in crime cases were found positive for coronavirus disease (Covid-19).
While one of the bodies was that of a 15-year-old boy who was allegedly murdered, the other was of an unidentified person, believed to be a migrant in his 40s.
According to the additional deputy commissioner of police (ADCP) Sachin Gupta, the nodal officer for Covid-19, as many as 17 personnel, including deputy commissioner of police (DCP, crime) Simratpal Singh Dhindsa, ADCP (crime) Harish Dyama, ADCP-III Gurpreet Kaur Purewal, ACP (civil lines) Jatinder Kumar Chopra, ACP (Crime-1) Mandeep Sandhu, Division Number 5 station house officer Richa Rani, six members of the staff of Division No 5 police station, two assistant sub-inspectors of Government Railway Police (GRP), and three members of the forensics division, have been asked to remain in self-isolation.
Sources said that these personnel had remained near the body for nearly an hour for carrying out preliminary investigations.
FAMILY OF MURDER VICTIM RUSHED TO ISOLATION
Soon after the test results came, the police swung into action and sealed the street in Janak Puri where the murder victim, Karan Kumar, 15, lived. His family members were also rushed to the hospital and health teams started his contact tracing.
According to the family, Karan had left home on May 11 on the pretext of visiting the market but had not returned. The family tried to find him but failed to do so. The family members claimed that on Friday they learnt Karan was murdered and his body was in the mortuary.
“Before we could come to terms with this tragic loss, the health department officials along with the police visited our house and took us to the hospital,” said Rajesh Chaudhary, the teen’s father.
Karan’s body was found in the demolished quarters of railway colony number 5 on Wednesday. As per the prima facie investigation, Karan was assaulted and then strangled to death.
The development comes a day after 18 RPF personnel tested positive for Covid-19.
Civil surgeon Dr Rajesh Bagga said that the samples of all the persons will be sent for testing as per protocol.
Dr Bagga said that beside the two dead, another person from Sahnewal, who was undergoing treatment at Jalandhar, has tested positive for the virus. He was rushed to a health facility in Ludhiana.
Deputy commissioner (DC) Pradeep Kumar Agrawal said a total of 4,599 samples had been collected in the district, of which reports of 4,186 samples were negative and 146 positive.
Meanwhile, 11 patients, including four students who had returned from Kota in Rajasthan and seven persons who had returned from Nanded, Maharashtra, were declared cured of Covid-19 after their two test results came out negative.
