The Navi Mumbai Police on Friday booked over 130 people for allegedly trying to travel hiding in vehicles meant for essential services at Vashi toll naka, Nawde phata at Taloja, and on the Sion-Panvel highway near McDonald’s at Kalamboli.
Senior police inspector Sanjeev Dhumal said the people, who wanted to go to their home towns, were found hiding in the vehicles though it seemed as if they were carrying essential goods. “We are blocking all vehicles and asking them to go back and only those with essential commodities are allowed to pass. Police personnel are deployed at Vashi toll naka round the clock. People need to understand the seriousness of the novel coronavirus outbreak and stop venturing out.”
The four vehicles caught at Vashi naka were two tempos, one ambulance and one truck. Fifty-one passengers along with the drivers were booked. The ambulance owner, Tanaji Balwant, from Curry road had planned to go to Kolhapur along with his wife and child, and let six passengers travel in it.
At Nawde phata in Taloja, the police found 14 people travelling in a truck from Dombivali to Satara and four in a car. “The truck had delivered sugar and on its return was carrying passengers in the name of supplying essential services. The truck had five men, three children, and six women. The four in the car from Khedukpada were loitering around the node,” Kashinath Chavan, senior police inspector of Taloja police station, said.
The Kalamboli police found 63 people in seven vehicles, including an ambulance, milk delivery van, tempo, truck, and autorickshaw. They were on their way to Phaltan in Satara and Karnataka.
All of them were booked under Sections 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life), 270 (malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life), and 271 (disobedience to quarantine rule) of the Indian Penal Code, and sections of the Motor Vehicle Act and the Epidemic Diseases Act.
