The police on Monday continued with its crackdown on those violating the lockdown orders across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).
The city police have arrested 668 people in the past 10 days for defying lockdown and seized 174 vehicles, including 114 on Sunday alone. They have booked 774 people between March 20 and 29. “Sixty-four people are still wanted, while 79 people were detained and released after giving notices. A whopping 307 people were booked and 256 were arrested on Sunday for stepping out,” said a police officer.
TRAFFIC SNARLS
Being the first day of the week, many motorists were seen trying to step out. “Those not listening to cops are being booked and their vehicles are being seized,” said Pranay Ashok, deputy commissioner of police (operation).
Heavy traffic was reported on the Mumbai-bound stretch of the Sion-Panvel highway, as the Navi Mumbai police sent motorists back to Mumbai citing they do not have a valid reason to be out during the country-wide lockdown. The highway is the only roadway connecting both the cities.
“We allowed only those with essential services and the ones out for emergencies,” said Sunil Lokhande, deputy commissioner of police, traffic.
Deepak Singh, 45, a Kharghar resident and activist who traveled to Vashi and Kharghar, said, “ I was out to distribute food to the poor and have police permission in place. As I had valid papers, they allowed me to pass.”
Bhanudas Khatavar, traffic police, Vashi, said, “We are even not allowing policemen and their families to go out.”
{{/usCountry}}Bhanudas Khatavar, traffic police, Vashi, said, “We are even not allowing policemen and their families to go out.”
{{/usCountry}}Many people took to Twitter informing police about those people who are not following lockdown.
1 death, 1 hurt
A 23-year-old, Raju Devendra, who had defied lockdown rules to go out with his brother to meet his friend’s ailing son at 2.30 am on Monday lost his life, after police allegedly beat him up at Nehru Nagar in Vile Parle, his family has alleged.
Raju’s 50-year-old father Poopatsi Devendra said, “My sons, Raju and Shankar, had gone with their friend Gautam Devendra to see his ailing son. They left home between 2.30am and 3am, and while returning home the policemen saw them.”
Shankar and Gautam managed to escape, but Raju was caught. Raju’s brother Shankar said, “I was scared to see policemen beating my brother. I did not go home in fear.”
Around 9.30am, few policemen came to our house and informed us that my son was lying outside under the influence of narcotics, and asked me to take him inside, said Raju’s mother.
After taking Raju inside, family members saw his body had injury marks from beating, and he was not responding. Family members rushed Raju to Cooper Hospital where he was declared brought dead.
Paramjit Singh Dahiya, deputy commissioner of police zone 9, said, “Our initial probe has found all three had a criminal past. They were out to commit a theft. We are awaiting his postmortem report.”
Meanwhile, a 37-year-old who was returning home from a funeral was allegedly assaulted by policemen near Four Bungalows in Andheri (West) on Sunday. Mangesh Nivate, a driver, said, “My physically challenged friend had called me to help his 87-year-old father get to a hospital as he needed urgent medical help. We took him to Cooper Hospital but he succumbed. I then went to Versova police station to take a no-objection certificate to conduct the last rites.”
Versova police gave Nivate permission, following which a group of 10 to 15 people went to the crematorium. “When I was returning home, a few policemen caught me and started to hit me with sticks,” said Nivate.
He rushed to Cooper Hospital where it was found that he had fractured his hand. “We are inquiring into the matter,” said Dahiya.
HELP AT HAND
A senior police officer from the western suburbs said the police have fed over 4,000 poor and needy people in two days. If anyone wants to help the poor by giving dry food (rice, dal, etc.), they can contact the nearest police station.
Meanwhile, the Mumbai Police on Monday for the third time told citizens that another fake audio clip in the name of police commissioner Parambir Singh is making rounds on social media.
The JJ Marg police, too, have arrested a 22-year-old man, Sohail Salim Punjabi, for circulating a fake message that military was going to be deployed in certain pockets of South Mumbai. “Punjabi claims that he got the message from some other group. We will verify his claims,” said Sanjeev Bhole, senior police inspector, JJ police station.
SMUGGLING MIGRANTS
The Sewree Police arrested two persons, including a truck driver, and booked them for trying to smuggle 59 daily wage workers to Uttar Pradesh in a truck. According to the Sewree police officials, the driver Shaban Jiyaulla Rehmani along with Zahir Akbar Ali Ahmed arranged for a truck and took ₹4,000 per person. “We found 59 persons inside the truck,” said Rashmi Karandikar, deputy commissioner of police, Port Zone. “They were rendered jobless and so wanted to return home,” said Kiran Mandare, police sub-inspector, Sewree police station.
Meanwhile, a group of 30 migrant workers who were living on the streets of Borivli have now set out to walk to their hometowns in Karnataka. Prahlad Chauhan, who works at a construction site in Borivli, said, “We do not have any money left and there are no food supplies,” said Chauhan.
A total of 41 labourers from Jharkhand are stuck in Mharal village near Ulhasnagar since March 22. After the video of them stranded went viral on Sunday, the Titwala police officers along with the representatives of Ulhas River Bachao Samiti from Ulhasnagar took them to a chawl in Mharal gaon. Police sub-inspector of Titwala police station, B Rajput, said, “They will be provided with ration for another eight days.”