GUNTUR: Finally, police traced the person who spread coronavirus to the 45-year-old cable operator in Narasaraopet after a thorough inquiry. He was a 54-year-old man of Guntur who attended Tablighi Jamaat at Nizamuddin Markaz. The cable operator who was a TB patient, got treatment at Narasaraopet government hospital. On April 6, the doctors referred him to Guntur Fever Hospital for treatment suspecting that he had developed Covid-19 symptoms. He was admitted to Fever Hospital on April 9 and later died. He was declared coronavirus positive on April 10.
Guntur Rural SP Ch Vijaya Rao formed a special team to investigate how the cable operator contracted coronavirus, which led to massive outbreak of Covid cases in Narasaraopet. During inquiry it was revealed that 13 persons of Guntur attended Tablighi Jamaat. The seventh among them visited Narasaraopet on March 20 to see his parents, who reside at Shalem Nagar. On his way to his parents’ house, the Delhi returnee had a cup of tea at a stall at bus stand centre. At the same time, the cable operator also visited the stall and ordered a cup of tea. The duo stayed at the stall for sometime when the cable operator might have contracted the virus from the Delhi returnee.
As part of the inquiry, the police collected call data of mobile phones of several Tablighi Jamaat attendees and their contacts. They also tracked the location of mobile phones of the Delhi returnee and the cable operator to establish their presence at the tea stall at the bus stand centre in Narasaraopet at the same time. The police gathered information about the duo after showing the photos of the Delhi returnee and the cable operator to a worker at the stall to ascertain the fact that he served tea to them or not.
The worker at the tea stall recognised the duo to whom he served the brew. Based on the information provided by the worker, the police visited NRI hospital where the Delhi returnee is undergoing treatment. When questioned he agreed to the fact that he visited Narasaraopet on March 20. As the Delhi returnee tested negative after treatment, he was discharged from hospital on Thursday.
It may be mentioned here that five family members of cable operator and a home guard who is his close friend, also contracted coronavirus. His family members spread the virus to 34 persons, while the home guard who tested positive for Covid-19, infected 18 persons, including five doctors. Meanwhile, the family members of the cable operator refuted the charge that they spread coronavirus to several others.