At least 3,000 persons are feared to have come in touch with Ameer B, a Gulf returnee, who tested positive for Coronavirus (Covid-19) in Kerala’s Kasaragod district on 20 March.

Ameer B, a resident of Eriyal in Kasaragod district, was asked to be in self-quarantine but he went on travel- and visit-spree, attending two marriages, a funeral and a football match.

The patient reportedly had fever when he landed but did not seek immediate treatment. He opted to go to the Kasaragod Government Hospital only after another person in the city tested positive for the pandemic virus.

The hospital authorities asked him to get admitted in the isolation ward until results of the tests came, but he went away saying he would return if the situation aggravated. It was only after his tests returned positive, that he was put in the isolation ward of the hospital.

After much persuasion of the infected person, the Kerala Health Department staff have been able to prepare a rough map of the route Ameer B has taken ever since he landed.

He is yet to come clean on his visits and travel. The main reason for his reluctance seems to stem from the fact that he is allegedly involved in smuggling gold.



Gold was reportedly recovered from Ameer B at Karippur airport and he was allegedly helped by an immigration officer.



Local media reports said that his passport had been seized by Customs officials as he did not pay duty for the gold he brought.

Two political leaders are reportedly now under a cloud for helping Ameer B.



On 21 March, Kasaragod district collector D Sajith Babu said Ameer B was not providing full details about the places he visited and events he attended. He is reported to have even donated blood at Mangaluru.

A rough sketch of the Gulf returnee’s visits now show that he had travelled in Kerala’s northern district of Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasaragod.