Migrants at a shelter home at Radha Swami Satsang Vyas, Mohanlalganj area of Lucknow. The migrants, on their way from Aligarh to Bihar, were stopped at the Lucknow border on Sunday. (Express photo: Vishal Srivastav) Migrants at a shelter home at Radha Swami Satsang Vyas, Mohanlalganj area of Lucknow. The migrants, on their way from Aligarh to Bihar, were stopped at the Lucknow border on Sunday. (Express photo: Vishal Srivastav)

A professor of Allahabad University and 16 foreign nationals were among the 30 people arrested here on Tuesday for allegedly not disclosing their visit to Tablighi Jamaat’s Delhi Markaz. Police arrested them after they completed the mandatory 14-day quarantine at a camp here. However, none among the 30 have been found infected with coronavirus.

“While the 16 foreigners — seven from Indonesia and nine from Thailand — have been booked for violating visa norms among others under the Foreigners Act, others, including the professor, are accused of providing shelter to the foreigners and not informing the administration about attending the Tablighi congregation in March even as police were looking for them after the outbreak,” said an officer.

All have been also booked for criminal conspiracy and other section of the Epidemic Diseases Act.

According to police, they had conducted raids at several places, including mosques, after they were alerted about possible Tablighi Jamaat contacts in the city. During the raid, police said, they found 16 foreign nationals hiding in mosques and houses.

“In the preliminary inquiry, it was found that a professor of the political science department in Allahabad University had allegedly made arrangements for the stay of seven Indonesians at a mosque. It was later discovered that the professor and the foreign nationals had attended the Tablighi Jamaat gathering at Delhi Markaz in March. The remaining foreign nationals were also traced, and people helping their stay were also identified and arrested. All were sent to 14-day quarantine in a temporary jail after FIRs were lodged,” SSP (Prayagraj) Satyarth Aniruddha Pankaj said.

“One of the Indonesian nationals had earlier tested positive for coronavirus. Later, his test came negative. At present, all the 30 accused are COVID-19 negative,” the SSP added.

All the 30 were produced before a local court which sent them to judicial custody.

Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Awanish Kumar Awasthi said that 23 temporary jails have been set up in districts. to keep the persons, including foreign nationals, facing pandemic-related cases.

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