Coronavirus Update: 8 Malaysian Nationals Caught Before Taking Special Flight; Linked To Delhi Mosque Event

The eight Malaysians, who attended the last month's event were sneaking at different places in Delhi. the immigration department was successful in apprehending them at the airport. They will be handed over to the Delhi Police and the Health Department for further investigation

Photo: ANI

New Delhi: Eight people were caught at the Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport on Sunday trying to flee to Malaysia. All of them have been identified as Malaysian nationals. As the sources say they were part of the Tablighi Jamaat Centre at Nizamuddin which has been marked as a hotspot for the spread of Coronavirus. Although international flights are not operating currently, special flights are being served by some nations to evacuate their nationals stranded in the country. A third of the COVID-19 cases in the country more than 1000 are associated with last month's religious gathering hosted by Tablighi Jamaat despite the government's message of social distancing. Nearly 9,000 people attended the Nizamuddin event and later they scattered to various parts of the country, leading to a wave of Coronavirus cases across the country. The eight Malaysians, who attended the last month's event were sneaking at different places in Delhi. According to the sources these Malaysian nationals planned to take a Malindo Air relief flight and flee to their country. However, the immigration department was successful in apprehending them at the airport. They will be handed over to the Delhi Police and the Health Department for further investigation. The matter comes as the Delhi Police have started tracing cellphone data to trace the people who were at the Delhi event or in its vicinity. The Jamaat event was attended by several foreigners, who, the authorities said, were misusing their tourist visa by participating in religious events. The Ministry of Home Affairs has promised strict action. Union home minister Amit Shah's office tweeted in Hindi earlier this week, "The home ministry has blacklisted 960 foreigners and their Indian visas have also been canceled for their involvement in Tablighi Jamaat activities while coming on tourist visas,".