10 who defied lockdown for group namaz held in Noida
A police official says that they are yet to arrest few more persons who are at large
G B NAGAR: Gautam Buddh Nagar police have arrested ten people for offering mass prayers (Namaz) at the roof of a house in sector 16 area of Noida. Cops said that the action has been taken as these people had violated a government order to stop all public activities and close down religious places of worship during the 21-day COVID-19 lockdown period ending April 14.
According to police, those arrested have been identified as Sadik, Salik, Sakib, Sameer, Noor Hasan, Shamsher, Firoz, Razi Alam, Tabrook and Akib, all natives of JJ colony in sector 16 area. “Police are yet to arrest few more persons in the matter who are at large” said police officials.
On Wednesday, a video went viral on social media, in which some people were seen offering Namaz at the roof of a house in Noida. Police took cognisance of the matter and investigated the video. “During investigations it came to light that around 10-12 persons have offered prayers (Namaz) after they gathered at the roof of the house in locality. A case under IPC Sections 188, 269, 270 and relevant sections of Epidemic Diseases Act 1897 has been registered.
The police have also held two clerics from Jarchha area in Greater Noida who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat event held in Nizamuddin, Delhi. These Jamaatis had come from Alwar area in Rajasthan and were hiding in Jarchha village.
Tablighi Jamaat's congregation at the Nizamuddin Markaz, has emerged as the latest hotspot of coronavirus in the country with governments of several states on high alert for identifying the attendees who are suspected of carrying COVID19. The police officials of both Gautam Buddh Nagar and Ghaziabad districts have been instructed to search for these Jamaatis in mosques.
“Acting on an intelligence input about the presence of five Jamaatis in the town as their last location was traced at Jarchha area, police raided a mosque in but we did not find any Jamaati sheltered there. We then searched a suspicious house where we found two Jamaatis who had attended the congregation in Nizamuddin. We have also arrested the two inmates of the house for giving shelter to these two persons” states an official statement from G B Nagar police.
Police have placed all of these people in quarantine for 14 days at the same place. They are also preparing to file a separate complaint against the two persons for providing shelter to the Jamaatis. Meanwhile, police have conveyed information of the three persons they received from intelligence input to Ghaziabad police as their last location was traced in Ghaziabad.