Tamil Nadu police today (13 April) arrested eight Ethiopians Tablighi Jamaat members- five preachers and three women - from a mosque in the heart of Chennai for indulging in religious propagation after entering the country with a tourist visa.

Tamil news channel Puthiya Thalaimurai reported that the police found them hiding at a mosque in Appu Maistry Street in George Town area’s Muthialpet. The locality, opposite the Madras High Court, is a prime commercial area.

Police went to the mosque to check after receiving information. All eight persons have been lodged in prison.

However, it is not clear if the Ethiopian Tablighi Jamaat preachers had attended the Aalami Markaz Nizamuddin congregations last month in Delhi.

In Tamil Nadu, 1,075 persons have tested positive for Coronavirus till 12 April. Of these, 971 cases have been traced to those who attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregations and their contacts.

At least 45 persons have recovered in the State, while the pandemic has claimed 11 lives so far.