Scores of Indian Americans tested positive with coronavirus, several died
Washington: Scores of Indian Americans have tested positive with the novel coronavirus and several of them have died, according to multiple news reports from community organisations and diaspora leaders from across the US, currently the global epicentre of the deadly disease.
While there is no official or unofficial count of Indian-Americans infected with the coronavirus, information available on various private social media groups indicate that a significant number of them are in New York and New Jersey.
The two States, which have the highest concentration of Indian-Americans in the US, are also the worst hit by the coronavirus.
By Monday, over 170,000 people tested positive in these two States and fatalities crossed 5,700.
Community leaders said that every day they have been receiving reports of their near and dear ones and other testing positive. Some of them, including a former president of the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) admitted to the Intensive Care Unit.
Veteran Indian-American journalist Brahm Kuchibhotla, who was a former contributor to United News of India news agency breathed last at a New York hospital on Monday night.
Really shocking that this is happening to the community. Cannot believe that this is happening to us and the people we know," said Indian American Rajendra Dichpally.
Several community leaders both in the New York metropolitan area and Greater Washington Area of Maryland and Virginia have tested positive.
While the majority of them are in self-quarantine in their homes, many of them have been admitted to hospitals.
Sewa International, which has been running a help-line in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic said that they have been receiving several calls seeking help.
Indian-Americans have raised USD 204,000 in support of Houston-based IT professional Rohan Bavadekar who is battling for his life on ventilator support.
His wife and three children have also tested positive. A day earlier, Federation of Kerala Associations in North America said that it has lost four of its community members due to the coronavirus.
In Silicon Valley, an Indian American IT engineer has been tested positive along with his immediate family members. While the rest of his family members stayed inside their home during this ongoing lockdown. He was the only family member who came out and did grocery.
Dr Mukul S Chandra, medical director of the Cardiac Preventive Care and Research at Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, Ohio is on a ventilator fighting COVID-19.
Community members in an appeal are seeking a plasma donor who tested positive for COVID-19 and then made a full recover.
According to estimates by the Johns Hopkins University, there are over 1.34 million confirmed coronavirus cases across the world and over 74,000 people have died of it. The US has the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the world at 364,723, followed by Spain (136,675), Italy (132,547), Germany (102,453). More than 10,000 people have died in the US because of COVID-19.
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Gold worth Rs 4.35 cr seized at IGI Airport in two smuggling cases; three arrested
New Delhi (PTI): Customs officers at the Indira Gandhi International Airport have busted two separate gold smuggling attempts, seizing a total of over 3.17 kilograms of gold worth about Rs 4.35 crore and arresting three foreign nationals, officials said on Monday.
In the first instance, Customs registered a case of smuggling on February 26 against a 39-year-old Chadian woman who arrived from Addis Ababa a day before, an official statement said.
Acting on specific profiling and surveillance, officers intercepted the passenger for a detailed examination.
During the search, gold articles of high purity weighing 1,843 grams were recovered from her baggage. The seized gold was assessed at a tariff value of Rs 2.37 crore, officials said.
The passenger admitted that the gold had been smuggled into India without payment of duty, officials said, adding that the recovery was made after she confessed the concealment was done "to evade Customs detection and payment of applicable duty".
The gold was seized under Section 110 of the Customs Act, 1962, and the woman was placed under arrest under Section 104 of the Act for her alleged role in smuggling.
In a separate incident, Airport Customs Preventive officers booked two Myanmar nationals in a gold smuggling case on February 23. The duo had arrived from Yangon, another statement said.
The passengers were intercepted while crossing the green channel at the international arrival hall of Terminal-3.
On thorough personal search and baggage examination, the two men admitted that they had concealed gold bars inside their rectum.
"Further, four gold bars were ejected by each of the passengers," the Customs statement said, adding that eight rectangular gold bars were recovered.
The total net weight of the recovered gold was 1,329 grams, which was appraised at a tariff value of Rs 1.98 crore.
Both passengers were arrested under Section 104 of the Customs Act, 1962 for their involvement in the offence of smuggling, officials added.
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