Mumbai: ADG (law and order), Vinoy Kumar Choubey, tests positive for Covid-19

Besides Vinoy Kumar Choubey, four of his aides, including his reader, or personal assistant, have also contracted SARS-CoV-2, which causes the disease, an official said.

Vinoy Kumar Choubey, the additional director-general of police (ADG) (law and order), Mumbai Police, has tested coronavirus disease (Covid-19) positive.

A health worker collects a swab sample from a man to test for Covid-19 infection. (HT photo)

Besides Choubey, four of his aides, including his reader, or personal assistant, have also contracted SARS-CoV-2, which causes the disease, an official said.

Choubey, who tested Covid-19 positive on Thursday, after one of his aides was found to be infected, is under home quarantine like his other staff members, who have contracted the virus.

Joint commissioner of police (administration) Naval Bajaj has been given the additional charge of joint CP (law and order).

At present, Mumbai Police is left with only three Jt. CPs, who are unscathed by the viral scourge, including Sinha, Naval Bajaj (administration), and Madhukar Pandey (traffic).

Choubey was also holding the additional charge of crime branch after Jt CP Santosh Rastogi left for Delhi in May following a Central government’s deputation.

Choubey, a 1995-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, has been at the centre of the Covid-19 management in Mumbai along with CP Parambir Singh.

They have been coordinating with the officials of civic bodies of Greater Mumbai and senior bureaucrats at Mantralaya, the administrative headquarters of the Maharashtra government in Mumbai.

The Jt. CP (law and order), Mumbai Police, has a cross-functional role such as meeting with officials both within and outside the police department and also the members of various communities and public groups.

It is yet to be ascertained how Choubey contracted the virus.

Choubey had visited several containment zones in Mumbai, which until recently was the epicentre of Covid-19 positive cases in Maharashtra and pan-India as well, in a bid to enforce lockdown restrictions.

He also made frequent visits to north Mumbai, which has been reporting a surge in the viral outbreak of late.

Though Choubey was promoted to additional director-general (ADG) rank in April, the Maharashtra government did not relieve him from Mumbai Police as he was a key member in Covid-19 management in the city.

Choubey, an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) (Kanpur), has held several key posts in Mumbai Police, including the chief of EOW, DCP zone 9, and also the chief of regional passport office (RPO), Mumbai.

Earlier, a few junior IPS officers from the Mumbai Police had also tested Covid-19 positive, but they have all recovered from their viral infection and have resumed work.