Kullu man, Russian woman caught while entering Shimla by hiding in pickup van

They were coming from Noida without any curfew pass and were planning to solemnise their marriage after reaching Nirmand

A Russian woman and her friend from Kullu were caught while trying to enter Himachal Pradesh’s Shimla district in a pickup van during the coronavirus-induced lockdown and imposition of curfew here, the police said.

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The woman and her friend who hails from Kullu’s Nirmand area and were caught at Shoghi while trying to enter Shimla district on Wednesday, Shimla superintendent of police Omapati Jamwal said.

The woman earlier lived in Mathel village in Kullu district and had moved to Noida with her friend, a few years back. They were coming from Noida after hiding themselves in the back of the pickup van without any curfew pass and both of them were planning to solemnise their marriage after reaching Nirmand, he added.

“It was later decided to send them back to Noida,” the SP said.

The driver and cleaner were also caught by the police. An FIR has been registered against them under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and Disaster Management Act. The Russian woman has been quarantined at a centre in Kasupti whereas the three men have been quarantined in Shoghi itself.

When the matter reached the chief minister’s office, he immediately directed Shimla district magistrate Amit Kashyap to send them back to Noida. The driver was issued a curfew pass to drop the duo back to Noida.

CM Jai Ram Thakur while presiding over a meeting with the senior officers directed them to ensure that Himachalis coming from other parts of the country must strictly follow quarantine norms. He said that all such persons must be examined and complete data of people arriving in the state should be compiled.

(with agency inputs)