Five accused in Palghar lynching case infected by coronavirus

Five more accused in the Palghar lynching case in Maharashtra, who were lodged in a lock-up at Wada police station, have tested positive for coronavirus, police said on Wednesday.

Earlier, 17 accused in the case underwent swab tests, of which 11 tested positive for the deadly infection on Tuesday, an official said.

As many as 156 persons were arrested after two monks on the way to Surat from Mumbai in a car were beaten to death along with their driver on April 16 by a mob at Gadchinchale village in the district on suspicion that they were thieves.

The accused have been remanded in judicial custody but lodged in various police lock-ups, as some work is underway at Palghar jail.

Reports of five more accused, who were lodged in a lock-up at Wada police station, came out positive for the infection on Wednesday, the official said.

With this, 16 accused in the lynching case have contracted the infection, he said.

The infected persons were sent to a COVID-19 hospital for treatment, while the health department was in the process of tracing their high-risk contacts, the official added. 

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