Noida: Youth with Covid-19 moved out of jail, spends night on ground

NOIDA: There was chaos at the Sector 20 police station after a Covid positive youth arrested for the third time from Sector 6 area late on Wednesday night had to be kept in an open ground for hours to prevent cops from contracting the virus. The youth, a drug addict, was sent to a hospital in the early hours of Thursday, officials said.
Sonu alias Sanjay (19) was first arrested from near the Sector 25 intersection on June 25 and sent to jail after being booked for disturbing peace under Section 151 of CrPC. However, after being sent to the temporary jail inside the Luksar premises premises, he had tested positive for Covid. A Covid test has been made mandatory for every newcomer to the jail.
Satya Prakash, jailor at Luksar jail, told TOI that he was admitted to NIMS, Greater Noida, on July 2. “However, he fled from there soon after his admission. On Tuesday morning, however, he was again arrested by the Sector 20 police and sent to Sharda hospital in Greater Noida on an ambulance since he was Covid positive.
A drug addict, Sonu again fled from the Sharda hospital on Tuesday night in search of drugs,” he said.
Later on Wednesday night, Sonu was spotted roaming around near a company in Sector 6 with an iron rod in his hand. “Acting on a tip-off from the company officials, a team of cops went to the spot and brought him to the police station by scaring him with a stick. Sonu was encircled by cops and the company officials, and brought to the police station on foot,” a police official said.
Though Sonu was initially kept in the lock-up, he was later shifted to an open ground inside the premises of the police station till an ambulance came and took him to the Sector 30 Covid hospital at Child PGI early on Thursday, sources said. “Four-five constables kept a strict vigil on him,” sources said.
After Sanjay was sent to the Covid hospital, the entire police station had to be sanitised and the constables were asked if any of them touched him. “They told their seniors that they had not touched him, but a team of doctors was called in to conduct a medical check-up of the policemen as a precautionary measure,” he said.
Meanwhile, the health department has been informed and the police have asked the doctors to ensure that Sonu stays in an separate room, sources said.