Mumbai cops identify 10 Markaz attendees who briefly stayed in Dharavi & left for Kerala

The Mumbai Police on Tuesday confirmed that it has identified and traced 10 Markaz attendees who lived in Mumbai's Dharavi area for a few days before returning to their home state. Police also stated that these people resided in the flat of the individual from Dharavi who had emerged as the first positive case from the region. They added that the identified individuals belong to Kerala and only the Kerala Police can confirm whether they have tested positive.  

On Tuesday, the Mumbai Police also informed that an FIR has been lodged against 150 Nizamuddin Markaz attendees in Delhi at the Azad Maidan police station for violating quarantine and official preventive orders. The FIR has been registered under IPC Sections 271, 188 and 269. The number of COVID-19 cases has surged to 490 now in Mumbai itself.

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1,445 cases linked to Markaz attendees

The Tablighi Jamaat, which was a congregation in Delhi, has led to a spike in the number of Coronavirus cases across the country. As many as 1,445 cases out of a total of 4,067 COVID-19 cases in India are linked to the Tablighi Jamaat congregation that was held earlier in March, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Joint Secretary Lav Aggarwal informed in his daily press briefing on Monday. An intensive search is being carried out by state governments across the country to trace and identify the Markaz attendees and their contacts, in an attempt to restrict the transmission. 

READ | Health Ministry Says 1,445 Out Of Total 4,067 COVID-19 Cases Linked To Tablighi Jamaat

Mayor of Mumbai Kishori Pednekar, in an exclusive interaction with Republic TV on Tuesday, appealed to the people to stay at home and follow the lockdown protocol to fight this war against the deadly virus. Speaking of the Tablighi Jamaat attendees who returned to Mumbai and are in hiding, the Mayor said that BMC has set up camps for such people to come and get tested and the BMC officials also went door to door to identify such individuals.

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"We have also set up camps to identify patients who have symptoms of flu, itching nose, feverish or cough. When we went door to door, we identified around 130 people with such symptoms of which maximum people were tested positive. Such people are in hiding. Such people will infect the whole vicinity. There is no need to hide. Get yourself treated. There are people who are getting cured as well. There should be no fear and those people should come out and get themselves checked," Pednekar said.

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