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Bengaluru: Over 3000 COVID Positive Patients Go Missing, Phones Switched Off, Police Begin Search

Karnataka Coronavirus Case Today April 29, 2021: Last week, the Karnataka government imposed a 14-day complete lockdown in the state to contain the spread of the infection, restricting the unnecessary movement of people in the state.

Bengaluru: Adding double pressure to the already ongoing crisis, over 3,000 infected patients have gone missing in Bengaluru and many have switched off their phones, Karnataka Revenue Minister R Ashoka said on Thursday. He also said that the government has asked the police to trace them as soon as possible.

Ashoka also claimed that the missing people are spreading the disease, in a state that has seen the positive cases skyrocket in the past few days.

The development comes as Karnataka on Wednesday recorded its highest single-day spike of 39,047 cases and 229 deaths, with Bengaluru Urban logging 22,596 of those infections.

Furthermore, Ashoka said police have been asked to trace the missing people. However, the police remained tight-lipped on their strategy to track the ‘missing’ individuals.

On the other aide, Karnataka Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar said the issue of the infected going missing has been going on for the past one year. “We are giving free medicines to the people, which can control 90 per cent of cases, but they (covid-infected people) have switched off their mobile phones,” he said.

He also added that most of the infected people have switched off their phones and are not letting people know about their whereabouts, which is making things difficult.
“I feel that at least 2,000 to 3,000 people in Bengaluru have switched off their phones and left their houses. We don’t know where they have gone,” he added.

Last week, the Karnataka government imposed a 14-day complete lockdown in the state to contain the spread of the infection, restricting the unnecessary movement of people in the state.

At this critical time, Bengaluru Urban alone accounted for 22,596 infections, the health department said in a bulletin. The state-wide toll stood at 15,036. The day also saw 11,833 patients getting discharged.

Among the 229 deaths reported on Wednesday, Bengaluru Urban accounted for 137, Mysuru 11, Mandya 9, Ballari 8, Bidar 6 and five each in Chikkamagaluru, Ramanagar, Shivamogga, Tumakuru and Yadgir, while the rest were in other cities.