18k suitcase lifter

Kanpur: A coronavirus-positive man

jailed

on charge of lifting suitcases was the source of spreading infection in the district jail, where 12 inmates were tested positive for the COVID -19 on Wednesday.

He has infected as many as 11 inmates, prompting the authorities to adopt preventive measures.

The suitcase -lifter, who is a habitual offender and active on Kanpur-Mumbai rail route, was caught by the police while trying to commit a crime, in a Mumbai bound train on March 12, after which he was booked under relevant section of Indian Penal Code and sent to jail.

“On Wednesday after eleven persons were found to be contracting the virus, a contact tracing exercise was conducted and nearly 76 inmates including the thief were made to undergo a coronavirus test. The thief, however, tested positive and that proved to be bad news for jail authorities. Immediately, all ten inmates were moved to the isolation facility,” said chief medical officer Dr Anil Kumar Mishra.

Around 12 inmates including two women inmates at the district jail had tested positive for coronavirus on Wednesday.

The jail has more than 2300 inmates.

The random sampling of 76 male inmates including suitcase lifter lodged in the barrack no: 12 was done on Tuesday, of which 10 including the suitcase thief tested positive on Wednesday. The same day, a random sampling of other 105 inmates (both men and women) was done, of which two women inmates tested positive for corona. All of them have been moved to the isolation facility.

“We have made available pulse oximeters to jail authorities, besides, a report of 80 other inmates lodged at a temporary jail in Chaubeypur, who had undergone COVID -19 test, came negative on Wednesday,” Chief medical officer Dr Anil Kumar Mishra added further.

---------------eom