37 migrant labourers trying to reach Palwal in truck intercepted by Delhi Police, sent to shelter home.
Migrant workers are among the ones who have been hit hard due to the coronavirus outbreak in the country. Lakhs of these workers are stuck in states where they were employed but ever since the lockdown began, they have been seeking ways to reach their home towns since industries, establishments where they were working are shut due to lockdown. With no work left, many of them are still searching for ways to travel to their hometowns, sometimes by hiding in transport vehicles or leading a foot march counting for hundreds of kilometers.
Amid a lockdown, at least 37 migrant workers traveling to Haryana's Palwal town in a truck were intercepted by the Delhi Police on Friday. They were sent to a shelter home, officials informed. During the intervening night of April 16-17, at about 01.30 am, the staff deployed at Okhla T Point Picket, MB Road of Police Station Pul Prahladpur, stopped one truck bearing No. HR 38 Z 0530 due to suspicion. Upon checking it was found that about 37 labourers were present in that truck.
An inquiry has revealed that a contractor Namely Brijesh (50) was intending to supply these labourers at Palwal Mandi, Haryana. The contractor was also present in the truck. It also revealed that he collected these labourers from Okhla Mandi and Chatarpur. All of them belong to Bihar and were temporarily living in the Chatarpur.
The contractor is a resident of Lakhi Sarai district in Bihar and had been staying in Palwal, said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast) RP Meena.
The labourers were staying in Chhatarpur, he added.
Delhi Police has booked all of them under IPC sections 188 (disobedience to order promulgated by a public servant), 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) and 270 (malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) and section 3 of the Epidemic Act.
In another incident, seven migrant labourers trying to travel to their home district Vaishali in Bihar were intercepted by a police team in South Extension. They had hired an SUV of a Trilokpuri resident for Rs 37,000, said Atul Kumar Thakur, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South).
The vehicle was seized and the seven labourers were sent to a shelter home. A case has been registered against the driver and he has been arrested, Thakur said. The advance payment made to the driver has been returned, the DCP said.
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