Coronavirus: Six foreign tourists found hiding in caves since start of lockdown in India

Six foreign nationals were found hiding in caves near Ganga river in Pauri Garhwal district of Uttarkahand for the past 25 days after they had to check out of hotels after they ran out of money during the lockdown.

All the six tourists —four men and two women from France, Turkey, Ukraine, the United States and Nepal— have been put in quarantine in Laxmi Narayan Mandir Swargashram Trust Ramjhula after a medical examination in which they did not show any symptom of Covid-19 infection.

According to the police, the officials in Laxmanjhula police station area on Friday had received an information that some foreign nationals were staying in caves near Ganga river in Garun Chatti area. Following this, the local police along with the intelligence unit carried out a joint search operation in the area and found them out.

"During the search operation, six foreign nationals were found hiding in separate caves. They told the police that they were staying there from March 24 onwards. Before that, they were living in hotels in Muni Ki Reti police station area in the adjoining Tehri Garhwal district, from where they had to check out due to shortage of money," Rakendra Singh Kathait, SHO, Laxmanjhula told The Indian Express. They had been purchasing food items from nearby markets and cooking meal inside the caves using wooden planks as fuel.

Indian and foreign tourists have been banned from entering the state of Uttarakhand since March 20 due to the coronavirus outbreak, according to a state government order.