ATHANI: The police in Athani were in for a shock on Wednesday when they had to shutdown Athani police station. A 32-year-old resident of Athani who died of COVID-19 on Tuesday had visited Athani police station in connection with a family dispute case, for which he had filed with the police before he tested positive.
A resident of Sankanatti village in Athani, he had returned from the United Kingdom in January and was stranded in his village since then due to the outbreak of COVID-19. He complained of breathlessness on Tuesday and died soon after he was shifted to Belagavi Institute of Medical Sciences (BIMS) the same day.
However, it came to light late that he was positive for COVID-19, after he passed away.
According to sources, he had not only visited Athani police station regularly but also had snacks and tea with officials of the station on several occasions, at a restaurant located in front of the station.
After the news of his death spread in Athani, the police station was immediately shutdown and the station employees started working from a community hall located in the city.
Meanwhile, another 74-year-old resident of Belagavi died of COVID-19 on Wednesday, which took the total tally of deaths due to coronavirus in Belagavi district to three.
The deceased was a resident of Shastri Nagar in Belagavi. Several of his primary contacts have been quarantined by the local authorities and search is on for other of his possible contacts.