The police arrested on Monday an 18-year-old COVID-19 positive man who had escaped from the Government Wenlock Hospital on Sunday soon after he tested positive.
Police Commissioner Vikash Kumar Vikash said that a combination of technical surveillance and ground intelligence led to the arrest of Devaraj (18).
Devaraj has been booked under Section 353 (assault or use of criminal force to deter a public servant from discharge of duty) and other sections of Indian Penal Code, he said.
According to the police, Devaraj, who lived in his grandmother’s house in the city, escaped from the hospital at around 4 p.m. on Sunday. The Mangaluru South Police registered a case in this connection.
Mr. Vikash said that the police made public the details of the man to ensure that those in contact with him do not get infected. In a tweet appreciating the work of the policemen involved in the arrest, Mr. Vikash said, “Police constables Shankarappa Lamani and Shankarappa Nandyal did a real heroic act of tracing and arresting the runaway COVID-19 positive man. But for their prompt and dedicated act, Devaraj could have infected many, without even knowing it.”
