The Bulandshahr administrative officers went into a tizzy after 16 coronavirus suspects quarantined at Janata Inter College in Dibai were found missing on Sunday afternoon.
Fourteen of them, however, returned after some time and when quizzed, made the shocking disclosure that they escaped as they were not getting adequate food there.
However, the district administration denied the charge and said that they were looking for the two missing suspects.
Senior Superintendent of Police Santosh Kumar Singh said that 103 people were put in quarantine at the centre in Dibai and 16 of them broke the window grill on Saturday night and escaped.
Their disappearance came to light on Sunday afternoon and a case was registered.
None of the escapees have so far tested positive for coronavirus.
Meanwhile, an FIR was registered against six persons, including two assistant development officers posted at Dibai block, for negligence in disaster management and disobeying administrative orders during lockdown in Bulandshahr.
District Magistrate Ravindra Kumar said that during inspection of three quarantine homes in Dibai on Sunday, ADO Abhilash Batham and Suresh Chand Arya, gram panchayat secretary Jai Pal Singh, Mohit Bhushan, Nrip Singh, Kripal Singh and gram development officer were found not following orders and giving false information and ignoring lockdown and quarantine rules.
Meanwhile in Moradabad, three areas were sealed after being declared as high-risk zones on Monday.
Karula area with dense population was sealed completely after a coronavirus positive case was found there. Besides, Galshaheed, Mughalpura and Nagphani areas were also sealed after being declared high-risk zones.
A Delhi University student and a native of Karula area returned after attending Nizamuddin markaz meet on March 19 and his location was ascertained through a list obtained from Delhi police. After this, he was quarantined at MIT guest house from April 8.
He had been living in a Delhi apartment after classes were suspended from March 8 and he visited Nizamuddin on March 8-9 and later returned to Karula but did not ensure social distancing in his house. Besides, he met several friends too.
His report came in on Sunday in which he was found to be coronavirus positive.
Chief Medical Officer Dr MC Garg said that everyone was alerted after the positive report and the student’s parents, two brothers, a sister, a sister-in-law and three other minors were isolated and their samples were taken.
Nodal Officer for COVID-19 in Moradabad, Dr Dinesh Kumar Premi said that the area and their house had been sanitised.
“Health department officials have collected inputs about his friends and two teams will contact them and they will be quarantined,” he said.