Punjab gangster tests positive for coronavirus; 30 cops quarantined

Gurdaspur/Patiala, May 5

A notorious Punjab gangster tested positive for coronavirus in Gurdaspur's Batala, where he was brought on a production warrant in a murder case from a Patiala jail.

Gurdaspur Civil Surgeon Krishan Chand said gangster Jaggu Bhagwanpuria's test report came on Tuesday afternoon, confirmed him to be a coronavirus case.

Over 30 policemen who questioned him in the murder case of Akali leader Dalbir Singh will be quarantined, said Batala SP (Headquarters) Jasbir Singh Rai.

Rai said their blood samples are being taken by a team of doctors.

Bhagwanpuria, whose real name is Jagdeep Singh, was brought to Batala from the Patiala jail on April 30.

He has several criminal cases, including murder and robbery, registered against him. 

He will be admitted to a hospital for treatment, the SP added.

Meanwhile, Bhagwanpuria's mother Harjit Kaur, who is a sarpanch of Bhagwanpur village in Batala, held a protest outside the Civil Lines police station, demanding that her son be given better treatment. 

Meanwhile, the development has sent Patiala district authorities scurrying to screen inmates and jail authorities at Patiala Central Jail, where Bhagwanpuria was kept before he was taken to Batala on April 30.  

District authorities have zeroed in on around 12 people--- including inmates and jail officials---who may have come in contact with the gangster, who was kept a separate cell since April 21, when he was found with a mobile phone.

 “We have informed the health team who came in contact with gangster while he was lodged inside the Patiala Central Jail,” said a Jail official.

In the meanwhile, Patiala Civil Surgeon Dr Harish Malhotra said,

“The team today visited the jail and did an exercise of contact tracing. If need be, we will take the sample of close contacts tomorrow.” --- PTI/TNS