S M Ali, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) from Bhadradri Kothagudem district in Telangana, has tested positive for Covid-19 a day after police had registered a criminal case against him for concealing from health authorities that his son had recently returned from abroad.

His son Arbaz, who returned from London, had earlier tested positive for coronavirus after his arrival from London.

DSP Ali’s son was isolated in Gandhi Hospital in Hyderabad on Saturday, where he tested positive for Covid-19. Officials then sent the DSP and his wife to MGM Hospital in Warangal on Sunday.

According to the police, Arbaz, instead of adhering to strict guidelines by the government for home quarantining foreign returnee, moved freely in public places including attending weddings. The DSP is also said to have attended a few social gatherings with his son before they were put in quarantine.

A 33-year-old female cook working for the family has also tested positive for Covid-19.

Kothagudem Municipal officials launched sanitation of the entire municipality on Wednesday after the DSP and a maid in his house tested positive for Covid-19.

State Medical and Health Department officials have reportedly directed the district officials to book a case under IPC Section 307 against the DSP for failing to follow quarantine regulations.