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Vegetable vendor escapes after testing positive for Covid-19, comes in contact with 100 people; arrested
Gurugram:
Gurugram:
A 34-year-old vegetable vendor, who was found positive for coronavirus at Khandsa Mandi on May 4, was arrested on Saturday after he allegedly did not report to the Civil Hospital and remained hidden at his friend’s place at Hira Nagar in Sector 10. The man and his friend have been isolated at a quarantine facility in Sector 9, the police said.
According to the police, the Hira Nagar house has been sealed, and the health department has placed all 20 people, including children, who were living there under quarantine and their samples have been taken.
The police said that the suspect, despite knowing that he is Covid-19 positive, was roaming around freely and was visiting the market and grocery stores. He came in contact with more than 100 people, police officials said.
Dr Jaswant Singh Punia, chief medical officer (CMO), said that they are investigating the matter and trying to trace all the people who came in contact with the suspect.
According to the police, on May 1, a team of health officials took samples of multiple people and shopkeepers at Khandsa Mandi for testing.
Preet Pal Sangwan, assistant commissioner of police (crime), said that when the results came on May 4, the team found that nine people, including the suspect, had tested positive for Covid-19.
“The Civil Hospital staff informed him regarding his reports over phone and asked him to get admitted, following which he switched off his mobile phone and vacated his room in Sector 10A and took shelter in his friend’s house. He did not tell anyone regarding the test report,” he said.
Sangwan said that the hospital complained against the suspect and a case was registered at Shivaji Nagar police station.
“The case was handed over to crime investigation agency (CIA), Sector 17. The CIA team took out the suspect’s call detail records and checked about his whereabouts. After questioning more than 100 people, the team got a tip-off that he was living with his friend in Hira Nagar,” Sangwan said.
The CIA team led by Narender Chauhan conducted the raid at the Hira Nagar house and caught the suspect. “He surrendered after seeing people in protection gear. We called an ambulance and informed the hospital regarding his arrest,” Chauhan said.
During an interrogation, the man told the police that he was scared about being isolated, the officials said.
“Once he recovers from the disease, we will take necessary action against him,” said Sangwan.
According to the health department, a total of 24 vegetable sellers have tested positive for Covid-19 at Khandsa Mandi so far. The wholesale vegetable market was shut down for four days for sanitisation and had resumed operations on Saturday. More than 1,600 people in the mandi were placed under surveillance and 128 samples were taken, said the police.
