Allahabad professor, 16 foreigners among 30 nabbed for alleged Jamaat links

INDIA Uttar Pradesh Police said they had arrested 30 people including a professor of Allahabad University and 16 members of Tablighi Jamaat from Indonesia and Thailand in Prayagraj late Monday night, for hiding their travel history and violating travel norms during lockdown imposed in view of the coronavirus pandemic. Authorities had quarantined them on March 31 at different locations and arrested them Monday night after the quarantine period ended. Among those arrested seven are from Indonesia, nine from Thailand and one each from Kerala and Bengal. Caretakers of Abdullah mosque in Shahganj and Hera masjid in Kareli have also been arrested, said police officials. “Thirty people were arrested under the Foreigners’ Act, Epidemic Act and relevant sections of IPC. They will be produced in a court,” Senior Superintendent of Police Satyarth Anirudh Pankaj said. Police said that the foreigners were charged with violating visa norms and failing to adhere to the Epidemic Act by not declaring the fact that they attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation at Delhi’s Nizamuddin last month. They also did not come forward for screening for COVID19. An FIR was lodged against 17 Jamat members at Shahganj police station and 12 persons at Kareli police station. Some ‘mutawallis’ (caretakers) of mosques were also charged with arranging illegal stay of foreign Jamatis without informing police and the local intelligence unit (LIU). Later, a professor of Allahabad University was also quarantined and an FIR lodged against him at Shivkuti police station after it was found that he too had returned after attending Nizamuddin event but failed to inform officials and even helped Jamaatis to stay at Abdullah Masjid, police said.

(Hindustan Times)