The eight foreign nationals were among those who attended the Tablighi Jamaat meeting in Nizamuddin in Delhi

Five members of a mosque in Bijnor, including the maulvi, have been booked for allegedly hiding information about the presence of Indonesian nationals who had returned after attending the Tablighi Jamaat meeting in Delhi on March 21. The eight foreigners have been put under home quarantine for COVID-19, said a police officer.

Additional Superintendent of Police, Bijnor, Sanjay Kumar said the police located eight Indonesian nationals staying at the Jamunwali mosque in Nagina. The eight were among the foreign nationals who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat meeting in Nizamuddin in Delhi, said the officer.

The eight had come to Delhi via Bangladesh, following which they went to Odisha and came to Bijnor on March 21, Mr. Kumar said.

Charges were pressed against the mufti, maulvi and three other members of the mosque as Section 144 was imposed during the prevalence of the COVID-19 and they had also been informed about it, said the officer.

The five have been booked under Section 3 of the Epidemic Act and Sections 268 (public nuisance), 269 (whoever unlawfully or negligently does any act which is, and which he knows or has reason to believe to be, likely to spread the infection of any disease dangerous to life) and 270 (malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) of the Indian Penal Code.

The mosque is being sanitised, said police, adding that a detailed medical inspection of the eight persons was under way.