On Wednesday, when the youth’s result came positive, officials found he had given his address as ‘Daniel Bar’ in Panaji fish market. Since then, the administration has been busy tracking him. (File Photo)

Over the last 48 hours, Goa Police has been trying to trace a 21-year-old man who has tested positive for Covid-19. There is a hitch: he is already a “missing person” in Delhi Police records. And the phone number and local address he shared in his self-declaration details before testing in Goa have not helped.

As on Thursday, Goa’s SOP required everyone to get tested if they entered the state through rail, road and flight, with the Directorate of Health Services sending the test result through an SMS. If positive, the state machinery would shift the person to a Covid facility.

On Wednesday, when the youth’s result came positive, officials found he had given his address as ‘Daniel Bar’ in Panaji fish market. Since then, the administration has been busy tracking him.

“There is no true identity. And we haven’t found the address to be valid,” said Health Secretary Nila Mohanan in a press meet. “We do not even know who this person is. If someone knows, please inform us.”

SP Utkrisht Prasoon said, “There were two details he had filled: phone number and local address. The bar’s location was near the fish market. We found three bars there, but one matching the details he gave. Besides, none was named Daniel.”

Prasoon said his phone number was then fed into the system and it showed that “he has already been listed as missing by Delhi Police”.

The police of both states found that the man’s family lives in Delhi and they had filed a missing person’s complaint on June 3. Further probe found that he stopped using the phone the same day.

Since Wednesday, Goa Police with the help of Delhi Police have been calling “all his friends” to reach him. On Thursday, a local channel identified him as “a person selling liquor at a tavern in Panaji market”.

The Mayor of Goa, Uday Madkaikar, soon began a probe. In a press meet he said, “A person running a bar has tested positive and is missing.”

Madkaikar decided to shut the entire market until the man is found or “some solution is found”.

“So no chicken, mutton or vegetables. No fish too,” he said. “I too did a private probe. He is a Nepali man who works in the tavern… People have seen liquor being served three days ago. I have called the Directorate of Health Services and I want all those who went to the bar tested…”

The theory of the man being Nepali has been denied by Goa Police.

The matter reached the Goa excise department as well. “…Our officials went to the location given and found no such bar matching the description. But inspectors are on field. We have decided to search all bars. If it’s almost proved that quantities have changed, then licences can get suspended,” said Amit Satija, Excise Commissioner.

“All we know is that he was in a train from Delhi. He entered Goa from outside,” said Mohanan at the press meet.