Eight Escape COVID-19 Isolation Centre Out Of Fear Of Being Hospitalized: Cops

Three of these men were later traced by police and admitted to a hospital.(Representational)

Eight people, including six coronavirus patients and two suspects, escaped from an isolation facility set up at a hotel in Madhya Pradesh's Indore city, police said on Thursday. Three of the COVID-19 patients were later traced and hospitalised.

"Eight people, in the age group of 40 to 60 years, escaped from the isolation center set up in a hotel in Rajendra Nagar area on Wednesday by scaling its rear end boundary wall. Police were on guard in front of the hotel," City Superintendent of Police Puneet Gehlot told PTI.

Three of these coronavirus patients were later traced by police and admitted to a private hospital. Two of them hail from Samastipur district of Bihar, while one belongs to Kota in Rajasthan, he said.

Search was on for the five others, all natives of Rampur district in Uttar Pradesh, the official said. The Rampur district administration has been informed about them.

"The three patients who were traced said they were disturbed after staying in the isolation facility for the last 17 days. Their coronavirus test report came out on Wednesday.

When they came to know they were going to be hospitalised, they fled out of fear," the official said.

Central Kotwali police station in-charge B D Tripathi said six of these eight people were earlier staying at a lodge near Ranipura area of Indore, while two were residing at a ''musafirkhana'' (a lodge).

"Since the local administration declared Ranipura as the epicenter of coronavirus in Indore, we had sent several people, including these eight, from the area and adjoining localities to the isolation facility," he said.

Rejecting reports that these eight people belonged to the Jamaat (an Islamic group), Mr Tripathi said they had come to Indore in connection with trade.

Indore has reported the highest 586 cases in the state so far.