10 Indonesians linked to Tablighi Jamaat taken into custody, kept in isolation in Ghaziabad

The Sahibabad police has taken 10 Indonesians with links to a religious congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin last month and who were staying in the Shaheed Nagar colony here, into custody and kept them at a temporary isolation ward, it said on Saturday.

The foreign nationals, including five women, were staying in a house, a madrassa and a mosque in Block D of the Shaheed Nagar colony, the police said.

They had come to Delhi to attend the Tablighi Jamaat, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kalanidhi Naithani told PTI, adding that an FIR was lodged against the Indonesians and five locals, including the house owner and managers of the madrassa and mosque.

They were booked under sections 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) and 270 (malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) as also section 3 of the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 and section 51 of the Disaster Management Act, he said.

Besides, sections 7 and 14B of the Foreigners Act were also invoked against the Indonesians, the officer added.

The Shaheed Nagar area would be seized in case the foreign nationals test positive for COVID-19 and till their test results come, the five locals would be home quarantined, the SSP said.