The prisoner who was asymptomatic tested positive on Wednesday and was later admitted to Lok Nayak Hospital, a senior jail official said, adding that five to six officials who came in contact with the inmate have been sent to home quarantine.
The quarantined persons also don't have any symptom of COVID-19, the prison officials said. They also said that the prisoner shared a barrack with 19 other inmates who have been isolated.
"The prisoner had some intestinal problem and was admitted to Deen Dayal Upadhyay hospital on Sunday. His intestine surgery was conducted on Sunday. On Monday, doctors took the samples for COVID-19 and the result came positive on Wednesday," Director General (Prisons) Sandeep Goel said.
The inmate didn't have any coronavirus symptoms. He was lodged inside the jail around five to six months ago in a robbery and attempt to murder case and used to stay in a barrack with 19 other inmates who have been isolated, the DG said.
This is the first positive case of coronavirus in a Delhi Prison.
Earlier, three inmates of Tihar Jail were put under quarantine after one of them, a rape accused, was suspected to have come in contact with a coronavirus-infected person.
He was lodged in a separate cell in central jail number 2 of Tihar. The victim in the rape case had tested positive for coronavirus.
However, when the accused was tested for the virus, the result came negative, officials said. NIT RDMRDM