Two Delhi police personnel succumb to Covid

Pandey was a part of the fingerprint bureau (FPB) of the Crime Branch and worked at the Kamla Market office in Central Delhi. “He complained of fever and cough on Tuesday and was tested at Lady Hardinge Hospital. His results came back positive on Thursday and he was admitted to Army Base Hospital in Delhi Cantonment area,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Sanjay Bhatia.

Before joining Delhi Police in 2014, Pandey served in the Indian Army. He hailed from Madhya Pradesh’s Rewa, and is survived by his wife Madhuri (50) and three children. Two of them, Krishna (32) and Preeti (28), live with their spouses in Rewa. Their youngest son, Naveen, is in Class XII. Police said Preeti and Krishna came to Delhi on Sunday to perform the last rites.

DCP Bhatia said four officers from the Crime Branch, who were in “close contact” with ASI Pandey, have been tested and sent for home quarantine. Their results are awaited.

Additional PRO (Delhi Police) Anil Mittal said ASI Vikram was tested for the virus on May 11 and May 22, which returned negative both times. “On May 25, he was so unwell so he went to Sanjay Gandhi Memorial (SGM) Hospital and was advised rest. The next day, he had breathing difficulties and was admitted to SGM hospital. Later, he was moved to the Army Base Hospital. He was tested for the virus again and it came positive. Today morning, at 11.30 am, he passed away,” he said. ASI Vikram was deployed on highway patrolling duty since May 1.

An officer in the Outer District said, “He was given a bike to patrol the streets in Sultanpuri and keep a check near the borders. A few of our colleagues have already been infected by the virus and some of them have recovered as well. ASI Pandey worked alone but may have come in contact with an infected person on the road. He was given one-week rest each time he complained of fever or cough. He was hard working and also caught a lot of violators during this lockdown.”

ASI Vikram lived with his wife and three sons aged 24, 19 and 15 at Kirari Suleman Nagar. The family hails from Bihar’s Gopalganj and had shifted to Delhi years ago when ASI Vikram joined the Delhi Police.

Delhi Police Commissioner S N Shrivastava tweeted: “Delhi Police family mourns the loss of two brave police officers in our fight against corona pandemic despite best efforts to save them. We pay homage to ASIs Vikram and Shesh Mani Pandey and may their souls rest in peace. We are committed to providing all help to their families.”

On May 5, 31-year-old Delhi Police constable Amit Kumar, posted in Northwest district, had died of Covid-19 complications while he was on his way to RML Hospital.