A freak accident involving a luxury bus in Mulund late on Monday blew the lid off a human smuggling racket.
According to the police, the incident occurred at 10.35 p.m. near the Navghar bridge on the southbound lane of the Eastern Express Highway. The driver of the speeding bus, belonging to Virendra Travels, lost control of the vehicle and veered to the side, ramming into the divider of the bridge. Passing motorists stopped to help and informed the police control room. The information was relayed to the Navghar police, after which teams were rushed to the spot to conduct inquiries.
Some passengers injured
“We found 20 passengers in the bus, and inquiries revealed that they were on their way from Airoli in Navi Mumbai, where they stay, to their native Aurangabad without requisite permissions that need to be obtained in light of the lockdown. Some of them had sustained minor injuries and were given medical attention, after which we set about taking action in the matter,” senior police inspector Pushkraj Suryavanshi, Navghar police station, said.
Mr. Suryavanshi said the driver and owner of the bus, and the agent who had put the migrants in touch with the duo, were all booked for disobeying an order promulgated by a public servant, and negligent act with regard to an infectious disease under the Indian Penal Code, along with relevant sections of the Disaster Management Act. The three were also arrested and released on bail, while the migrants were sent back to Airoli.
The Maharashtra Police have so far registered 1,317 cases of illegal transport of people across the State. Officers said cases continue to pile up despite the government running special trains, as even the Railway administration has its limitations and there are simply not enough trains. Meanwhile, migrants have run out of money and are living at the mercy of strangers, be it in the form of food and rations provided by the government or help coming from NGOs or individual donors.
