Delhi Police seal a part of a neighbourhood at Kishangunj, Laxmi Nagar, in New Delhi on Wednesday. (Express photo: Tashi Tobgyal)
Delhi Police has filed an FIR against a man, employed as a guard of a house in south Delhi’s Defence Colony, where three people tested positive for COVID-19 on April 3, under sections of “negligent, and malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life” and disobedience.
DCP (South) Atul Kumar Thakur said, “Ever since the three members of the family were hospitalised after they tested positive, the guard of the house has been missing. We inquired and found out through local sources that he had visited the Nizamuddin Markaz. An FIR under sections 188, 269 and 270 of the IPC has been registered against him.”
Police tracked down the guard to his house in Southeast Delhi’s Okhla, and he has been sent to a quarantine centre. An officer said, “The protocol is to send the person to quarantine for 14 days and then question him. So far, he has not said anything about visiting the Markaz but colony guards told us that he did. An FIR has been registered.”
Of the three Defence Colony patients, two are senior citizens, and the third one is their grandson. A resident, known to the family, said “the family lives in a three-storey house… The grandparents and grandson were taken to the hospital on April 3, the rest are home-quarantined”.
Another resident said “the guard was still working after the lockdown… that is what’s happening across many homes in the colony.” The DCP said he is “not aware of the travel history of the family”.
A resident of Defence Colony told The Indian Express that SHO Defence Colony also sent messages to the RWA about the case.
The message said, “Our preliminary inquiry indicates doubt towards the guard who was quite close to the family and used to move in and out of the house frequently… He allegedly attended the Jamaat at Markaz Nizamuddin.”
The message further advised residents to “be a bit more alert and keep watch on their domestic helps, drivers and guards” and requested residents to “not assemble in parks… My men will patrol the area and violators will be prosecuted.”
Defence Colony RWA president Major (retd.) Ranjit Singh said they have an RWA helpline and a WhatsApp group to keep residents informed about any cases.