Bengaluru, May 21 (IANS): As many as 20 police officers in Karnataka's Shivamogga district have been home quarantined after an inspector came in contact with a rape survivor, who turned Covid-19 positive, according to an official, here on Thursday.

"The inspector took the girl in a police vehicle to drop her home. He later went home to take bath and attended a meeting at the Superintendent of Police's office," S. Ravi, Davangere range Inspector General of Police (IGP), told IANS.

At the meeting attended by that inspector, there were 20 more officers, including the SP, the ASP, five DSPs, seven inspectors and others. "There were 20 officers and protocol, like social distancing and wearing a mask, was followed at over one hour meeting," said Ravi.

Later, the officers learnt that the rape survivor had tested Covid-19 positive, prompting all the officers to get home quarantined.

Escorting the girl home and the SP meeting happened on May 16. All the attendees are scheduled to undergo a Covid-19 test on Saturday. "Fortunately, the inspector who dropped her tested negative for two days," Ravi said.

Meanwhile, the police department has made temporary replacements for the home quarantined officers.

Such was the nature of the police job that just 10 minutes of escorting a rape survivor home had resulted in quarantining of nearly 20 officers, Ravi said.

Shivamogga is 300 km west of Bengaluru. The district is battling 30 Covid-19 cases without a death hitherto.