2 MBBS students booked for concealing travel history

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, March 23

The Kashmir police have booked two MBBS students for concealing travel history amid Covid-19 outbreak.

The police said they returned from Pakistan and Bangladesh recently and reached their home at Charsoo and Goripora villages of Awantipora sub-district in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district. “Two persons of the Awantipora area have concealed their travel history to evade necessary quarantine process. The police have registered a case under Sections 188, 270 and 271 of the Indian Penal Code,” a police spokesperson said.

They were sent to the Entrepreneur Development Institute (EDI), Pampore, which has been turned into a quarantine facility, he said. “Further action under the FIR shall be initiated after their quarantine period is over,” the police said.

Due to porous screening, hundreds of people have managed to make entry into Kashmir from various countries. Some have concealed their travel history and others have changed their routes at various checkpoints established by the administration on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway. The presence of people coming from Covid-19-affected countries without screening has created panic of spread of the virus in the community.

Officials said they were able to track 29 persons who skipped screening by concealing travel history while returning to Kashmir from different countries. “Thank you everyone around for your direct messages and calls to the control room. Today medical, IT and surveillance teams were able to track 29 persons coming from Bangkok, UK, Dubai, Bangladesh, Kazakhstan, etc, who skipped medical tests by changing routes or avoiding travel history,” tweeted Deputy Commissioner, Srinagar, Shahid Choudhary, who is at the forefront to lead the government’s efforts against Covid-19.