50K migrant labourers on ‘waiting list’, many caught trying to leave city

The Mumbai Police, which expects 1.5 lakh applications for travel pass from migrant labourers, till Wednesday processed documents of around 50,000 migrants who are

The Mumbai Police, which expects 1.5 lakh applications for travel pass from migrant labourers, till Wednesday processed documents of around 50,000 migrants who are now on a “waiting list” to return to their hometowns. More than 10,000 labourers have been sent back till now. Pranaya Ashok, DCP (ops) and spokesperson for the Mumbai Police, confirmed the development and said, “Migrants will have to be a bit more patient as the government is trying their best to send them back home as soon as possible. It’s a lengthy process.”

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Despite the assurances, labourers are getting desperate and are trying to leave Mumbai without following the government’s laid down procedure.

Between Monday and Wednesday, Sakinaka police registered five cases wherein 222 labourers from Uttar Pradesh were caught hiding inside trucks and tempos to go to their hometowns. “The drivers and owners of these vehicles have been booked while labourers were sent to shelters,” said Kishor Sawant, senior inspector of Sakinaka police station.

Nishith Mishra, additional commissioner of police, south region, said, “The police are awaiting response from nodal officers of the respective states. The possible delay could be because the receiving states are giving priority to those states which have more labourers from their state. We will wait for our turn to send the labourers.” Additional commissioner of police, central region, Veeresh Prabhu said, “We have got approval from Bihar, but are awaiting approval from other states. We have a total of 40,000 migrant labourers in our region.”

47 labourers head home to take up farming

A total of 47 migrants from Gujarat and Rajasthan, who were working in garment units in Dharavi, were sent back to their hometowns in two sanitised buses from Dharavi on Wednesday. “Instead of being jobless and having no source of income in Mumbai, the migrants said they will take up farming in their villages,” said Vilas Gangawane, senior inspector, Shahunagar police station.

Duo arrested for stealing liquor

The Mumbai Police’s crime branch unit 10 on Wednesday arrested two men for breaking into a wine shop in Powai on April 19 and stealing liquor bottles and cash worth ₹8.60 lakh. The duo allegedly sold the stolen liquor at a steep price in the market. The incident came to light on May 4 when wine shops were allowed to reopen and an employee from the shop lodged a complaint. The accused are Afsar Shaikh, 21, and Shakeel Chaudhary, 19.

In a related development, an employee from the same shop was booked for not maintaining social distancing norms at the shop with nearly hundred people gathering outside it. The crowd was dispersed and the shop was shut soon after.

47 FIRs on Tuesday for lockdown violation

The Mumbai Police lodged 47 FIRs on Tuesday for lockdown violations. Of the cases, 32 were for gathering in one place, nine for not wearing masks, five for unnecessary use of vehicle and one against a shop for operating illegally. Out of the 47 FIRs, 22 were in west region followed by 19 in central region, the worst-affected areas in the city.

Man held for selling tobacco products

The city crime branch on Wednesday arrested a 37-year-old businessman and seized 31 gunny bags of gutkha and tobacco products worth ₹12.37 lakh from his godown in south Mumbai. The arrested accused, Shakeel Nabi Alam Khan, 37, was illegally selling the tobacco products.

Following a tip-off, a police team along with officials from the Food and Drugs Administration conducted a raid the go-down, said police inspector Ninad Sawant of the unit 4. The accused is being probed to find out where he bought the tobacco products from amid the lockdown.

State Police nears 500-mark for Covid-19 cases, 233 from Mumbai

Till Wednesday, the Maharashtra Police recorded 495 cases of Covid-19 among its ranks. This includes 233 cases from the Mumbai Police. Of the 495 cases, 445 are police constables while the rest are officers. About 35 of the personnel have recovered while 456 are undergoing treatment.

26 police personnel from JJ Marg police station, including 12 officers, tested positive for Covid-19 on Wednesday. Around 60 others from the police station have been quarantined.

100 Covid warriors attacked in state

AS many as 27 health professionals, 72 policemen and one home guard have been assaulted by people while they were discharging their duties of screening and treating patients and implementing lockdown norms to prevent further spread of Covid-19.

(Inputs from Suraj Ojha, Vijay Kumar Yadav, Faisal Tandel, Manish K Pathak)