Maharashtra Police has booked over 150 foreigners from different countries for violating visa norms by engaging in religious activities after they were found to have attended Tablighi Jamaat event at Delhi's Markaz Nizamuddin.

The state police has filed 15 cases against 156 foreign nationals under Section 14 B of Foreigner’s Act and Sections 188, 269, 270 of the IPC.

These cases have been filed in different police stations of Mumbai, Thane, Amravati, Nanded, Nagpur, Pune, Ahmednagar, Chandrapur and Gadchiroli districts.

They have been accused of violating visa norms.

These foreign nationals include nine from Kazakhastan, one from South Africa, 13 from Bangladesh, four from Brunei, nine from Ivory Coast, one from Iran, six from Togo, 18 from Myanmar, eight from Malaysia, 37 from Indonesia, one from Benin, 10 from Philipines, one from the USA, 11 from Tanzania, two from Russia, five from Djibouti, one from Ghana and 19 from Kyrgistan.

They are currently placed in institutional quarantine as they are suspected coronavirus cases.

In Jharkhand, cases have been registered against 28 foreigners for violating visa norms.

"Case registered against 28 foreigners who had come here on a tourist visa, for taking part in religious activities. These people are under quarantine right now. After their quarantine period finishes, they will be produced before the court & sent to jail," Jharkhand DGP MV Rao said on Saturday.

Last week, the Central Government blacklisted 960 foreigners and cancelled their visas after finding they were involved in Tablighi Jamaat activities violating their visa conditions. The Home Minister's Office asked Delhi Police and chiefs of other state police to take legal action under the Foreigners Act and the Disaster Management Act.

"The home ministry has blacklisted 960 foreigners and their Indian visas have also been cancelled for their involvement in Tablighi Jamaat activities while coming on tourist visas," the home minister's office had said on April 2.