According to reports, at least 40 inmates of the Byculla women’s jail has been tested positive for COVID-19. Indrani Mukerjea, prime accused in the Sheena Bora murder case, was also amongst them.
As per reports, all of them have been moved to a Covid care centre in Byculla for treatment, senior prison officials said on Wednesday, April 21. These 40 inmates were found positive for coronavirus after they were subjected to Rapid Antigen Test (RAT).
This comes in the wake of an outbreak in the state’s 44 prisons, which have seen the number of active Covid cases jump from 284 to 385 (of which 285 are prisoners) in the week between April 14 and 21. The number of active patients in the state prisons was 42 on March 3.
On Sunday, April 18, the RAT was performed as one of the women prisoners was found infected and was shifted to the COVID centre at St George Hospital in South Mumbai, the official said.
Subsequently, RAT was conducted on 350 women prisoners, 225 men inmates and 60 staff of the jail, out of whom 40 women tested positive for coronavirus.
The Byculla district prison has a capacity of 462 prisoners (262 women and 200 men) but houses 306 women and 203 men. Some women prisoners also have children living with them.
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