Kodagu SP Suman D Pennekar said on Saturday that the police had traced nine moulvis from Shura Tablighi Jamaat in Gujarat. They are staying in a rented house in Virajpet taluk. The police are keeping a vigil on them.
The nine moulvis and the owner of the house have been quarantined at a facility on the outskirts of Madikeri. Their throat swab samples have been sent to Mysuru for testing, the SP told reporters.
The moulvis had attended a religious gathering in Mumbai in January. They had come to Virajpet on February 3 and were part of a religious programme held at a mosque for 40 days. When they were about to return home, the lockdown was announced.
They had stayed indoors and had shown no symptoms of COVID-19 since their arrival, Suman said. They have been quarantined as a precautionary measure, she said.
The team of moulvis claimed that they had got themselves checked by a doctor in Virajpet. “We will cross-check their claim. An FIR will be registered against them, in case their claim turns out to be wrong,” the SP said.