Accused held in Palghar lynching case tests COVID-19 positive
Police have so far arrested 115 persons, includingnine minors, in connection with the lynching of three men,including two seers, at Gadchinchale village in Palghar lastmonth.
The accused tested positive for the infection onFriday night, the official said.
"He was kept in a police lock-up at Wada in thedistrict along with 20 others. After testing positive, he wasadmitted to a government hospital in Palghar," district civilsurgeon Dr Kanchan Wanere said.
"Twenty others kept in lock-up with him have beenquarantined along with around 23 police personnel, who camehad come in contact with him," she said.
The health department is now trying to find out how hecontracted the infection, Wanere said.
According to sources, on April 18, a test wasconducted on all the accused arrested in the case till then toknow whether they were infected. However, all of them hadtested negative at that time.
The second test was conducted on Friday and the resultcame at night, in which the accused was found COVID-19positive, the sources said.
The accused had been presented before a local court onApril 30 along with other accused, they said, adding that hisfamily members will be quarantined now.
The state police's Crime Investigation Department(CID) had on Friday arrested five more persons in connectionwith the incident of lynching, which took the number ofaccused held to 115.
The incident took place on April 16 when the two seerswere heading towards Surat from Mumbai in a car with a driverto attend a funeral. A mob of villagers stopped them and beatthem to death on suspicion that they were thieves, even as afew police personnel had reached the spot. CORNP NP