Three from Gujarat, with quarantine stamps, held in Manesar. They were riding their way home in UP

Three men were arrested in Manesar on Thursday morning for allegedly skipping home quarantine in Gujarat and attempting to enter Haryana on a motorcycle, after riding

Three men were arrested in Manesar on Thursday morning for allegedly skipping home quarantine in Gujarat and attempting to enter Haryana on a motorcycle, after riding for nearly 15 hours, the police said. They have now been taken into custody and kept in isolation at the Civil Hospital in Sector 10.

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The three men are cloth merchants from Dahod in Gujrat, nearly 830 kilometres from the city, and were trying to return to their homes in Uttar Pradesh.

Police commissioner Muhammad Akil said that the three men crossed two borders and used remote routes to evade the police. They were checked at Rajasthan border, but they managed to cross it, he said. “They have flouted home quarantine instructions under Section 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). They had started on Wednesday afternoon and it took them nearly 15 hours to reach here,” he said.

The suspects were identified as Mohit Kumar (22) and Arif Khan (20), of Muzaffarnagar, and Shadab Khan (18), of Meerut, in Uttar Pradesh. “They were supposed to be under home quarantine till April 8. We found stamps on their hands, but they had tried to rub off the stamp and the dates were hardly readable. We have taken them into custody and their motorbike was impounded,” said Deepak Saharan, deputy commissioner of police (Manesar).

The suspects had undergone a thermal screening in Dahod after they reported throat ache and fever, following which they took a test at a government hospital. After taking their swab samples, the hospital authorities advised them to stay isolated at home for two weeks, the police said, but the three of them allegedly fled the city.

Akil said they have also planned strict provisions to deal with those who do not observe the mandatory social distancing. “Three of them were commuting on one motorbike even though they were supposed to be in home-quarantine. Two of them walked to cross the borders and one of them crossed on a motorbike. We are investigating and are checking with the neighbouring police team to know the reasons given by them to cross the stretch,” he said.

Police have warned of action, including a six-month jail term, and asked district officials to deal with them sternly. “We will not tolerate such irresponsible behaviour. They can infect their family members and friends. We will contemplate strict action against those skipping quarantine,” said Akil.