Cops rescue 150 daily wage workers being ferried in trucks; 5 arrested

The Gurugram police, on Thursday morning, arrested five persons from Kundli-Manesar-Palwal (KMP) Expressway for allegedly ferrying more than 150 daily wage workers

The Gurugram police, on Thursday morning, arrested five persons from Kundli-Manesar-Palwal (KMP) Expressway for allegedly ferrying more than 150 daily wage workers in trucks from Ludhiana in Punjab despite restrictions on movement within or outside the state amid the ongoing lockdown for Covid-19, said the police.

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According to the police, the two trucks were transporting 75 daily wage labourers each to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. A sticker was pasted on the truck glass window that read, “Agriculture Farmer Pesticides” to avoid any checking, said the police.

The police intercepted one of the two trucks near the Jhajjar border on KMP Expressway around 5am after receiving a tip-off. On checking the truck, the workers were found to be sitting inside with a canvas sheet placed over them to mislead the police.

The police said there was no social distancing maintained and none of them had any masks. At least 75 workers were rescued and three persons, including the driver, were arrested from the first truck, said Deepak Saharan, deputy commissioner of police (Manesar).

Saharan also said among those found in the truck, there were four women and three children.

The workers were employed with private contractors, real estate developers, and electronic repair units in Ludhiana, the police said. They were allegedly abandoned by their employers after the lockdown was announced, said the police.

The truck drivers had taken ₹2,000 each from the labourers and, while on their, way threatened them and extorted another ₹1,000 from them to ensure their safe passage.

The police said the labourers were from Aurangabad in Bihar and Gorakhpur and Mahrajganj in Uttar Pradesh, nearly 1,200 kilometres away from Ludhiana, the police said.

Saharan said that these workers used to live in Jeevan Nagar in Ludhiana. With the outstation bus and train services suspended, the truck drivers offered to drop them to their home towns in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, in exchange for money.

“The drivers during the questioning said that they were charging the labourers only for the fuel cost and other expenses during the 1,200km journey. They wanted the money to pay the EMIs of the trucks and due to the lockdown they were under immense financial pressure,” he said.

The police placed all the labourers and drivers under quarantine and distributed masks, gloves, and sanitisers among them. They were given breakfast and space was provided to them at the Manesar police lines to rest in accordance with the social distancing norms, the police said.

Saharan said the workers revealed that after the lockdown was announced their employers had asked them to vacate the factories where they usually lived. Thus, they were heading back to their home town. “We will write to the officials in Ludhiana to ensure strict checking at the checkpoints, he said.

A case under sections 384 (extortion), 188 (Disobedience), 269 (Negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life), 270, 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code(IPC) and sections 51 and 51B of Disaster Management Act, 2005 at the Farukhnagar police station was filed .

Police commissioner Muhammad Akil said that all the workers will be sent back to Ludhiana soon. “We have provided them with space to rest. Food is being prepared in the police station for them. Their medical check-ups are being conducted,” he said.

Meanwhile, the police team of Sohna on Thursday intercepted an essential services trucks transporting six passengers. The passengers, mostly daily wage labourers, were trying to get back to their native places as they were stranded in the city. “We intercepted the vehicles and arrested them from the spot,” said Saharan.