Covid-positive Sydneysider dubbed ‘public health enemy No.1’ is accused of going back on pledge to cops to hand himself in
- A Covid-positive man dubbed ‘Sydney’s public health enemy’ has avoided cops
- Police claim Anthony Karam, 27, has the virus and is not complying with orders
- He allegedly agreed a deal with police but went back on the agreement
- Public are told to not approach Karam if they see him and instead call police
A Covid-positive man being hunted by NSW Police has allegedly reneged on a deal to turn himself in to police as he is branded Sydney’s ‘public health enemy number one’.
Anthony Karam, 27, was previously known to police and tested positive for the disease on August 14, cops say, but has allegedly refused to self-isolate at home.
The man, said to be thin, about 170cm tall and of Mediterranean/Middle Eastern appearance, refused to answer calls from health officials who then brought in police, they claim.
But when they tried to visit his home, they allegedly discovered the address he gave was fake.
Covid-positive Anthony Karam, seen here, is being hunted by NSW Police after he allegedly reneged on a deal to turn himself in
Karam is now feared to have gone on the run while infected, potentially spreading the disease to thousands across the state.
CCTV footage of Karam released by police shows him coughing while in an apartment block lift.
Police had made contact with him through a third party and had thought they had negotiated a deal to bring him in off the streets, The Daily Telegraph reported.
But the deal fell through, sparking a renewed manhunt for him.
The situation is considered so serious, police have used Section 62 of the Public Health Act for the first time to name and identify Karam to help in the search.
A spokesman confirmed to Daily Mail Australia: ‘Inquiries continue to locate Anthony Karam.’
NSW Police said a deal had been done for him to come forward and hand himself in.
Anthony Karam, 27, seen here in CCTV footage from a lift in an apartment block, has been branded Sydney’s ‘public health enemy number one’
Anthony Karam, 27, pictured, was previously known to police and tested positive for the disease on August 14 – but has allegedly refused to self-isolate at home
But a police spokesman, who called him ‘public health enemy no.1’, claimed: ‘He reneged and failed to comply with the arrangements he had made.
‘He is not only a danger to the community but to himself as he is sick and can be seen coughing when he was last seen in an apartment block.’
Karam is said to have olive skin, short dark hair, brown eyes, a beard and moustache. Police say he is often seen around Greenacre, Wentworth Point and Parramatta.