Agra, Apr 10 (IANS): In a disturbing revelation, it has now been found that while returning from the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi last month, many of the members purchased a sweet, 'petha', from Agra and distributed it to friends and co-travelers during their journey.

According to a police official in Agra, some 'petha' sellers in the city have told the police that some 'Muslims' made bulk purchases of 'petha' after the Holi festival, which is when the Jamaat meeting ended in Delhi.

A senior police official who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, "We have received reports that the Jamaatis distributed sweets. It is not very normal for Muslims to distribute sweets to co-passengers on buses and trains. We are talking to several bus conductors and daily passengers who have monthly passes to confirm this."

The official said that at least, two 'petha' shop owners had told the police that they sold five to ten kilograms of 'petha' to customers, apparently Muslims, in mid-March.

"If the report of distribution of sweets is confirmed, it could be a major problem tracking down the co-passengers of the Jamaatis. They could be businessmen and lawyers who travel regularly between Delhi and Bareilly, Badaun, Pilibhit and Shahjahanpur. They could also include those who travel to visit families and relatives in Bareilly, Aligarh, Bulandshahr, Hapur, Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Ghaziabad etc," he said.

The Tablighi Jamaatis returnees have been found in almost all parts of Uttar Pradesh. These Jamaatis, majority of them confirmed as 'Corona carriers', returned to various cities and spread the virus.

Search is on for those who had travelled with the Jamaatis and accepted the sweets, as authorities fear that it could have passed on the infection.

Police in different parts of the state are already mapping these men and their primary contacts.