21 foreigners who had attended Tablighi meet arrested

The crime branch of Thane police on Thursday arrested 25 persons including 21 foreign nationals who had allegedly attended a gathering of the Tablighi Jamaat in Delhi in March. They were arrested after their quarantine period was over. A court later granted them bail, an official said.

The congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin area turned out be a major coronavirus hotspot, following which police in every state began to track down those who had attended it.

Senior inspector Nitin Thakre said those arrested included 13 Bangladeshis and eight Malaysian nationals while four persons are local residents. The foreign nationals violated the rules under their tourist visas and attended the Tablighi meet and later returned here, he said.

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They were found to be living at Tanvir Ulum Madarsa Trust, Kausa, and Al Nadi Ul Falah, Kausa. On April 1 they were detained and quarantined at a shelter at Shil Daighar. They were arrested after their quarantine period was over on Thursday, inspector Thakre said.

They are accused of living together in violation of the provisions of the Epidemic Act and Disaster Management Act and not following social distancing.

Four local persons who gave them shelter were also booked, he said.

After arrest, they were produced before a local court which granted them bail but directed that they shall not leave the country, the police official added.

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