A total of 25 migrant workers were arrested early Wednesday from Santacruz in Mumbai while they were trying to move out of the city to Uttar Pradesh by hiding in a mini truck, a day after the national coronavirus lockdown was extended till May 3, police said.
On Tuesday, hundreds of migrant workers, who have been stuck in Mumbai since the first phase of the lockdown kicked in on March 24, gathered outside Bandra railway station hoping for special trains to take them to their native states.
A police official said a patrolling team intercepted the vehicle in Meera Baugh area of Santacruz on suspicion in early morning.
"Police found 25 men, all migrant workers, crammed inside the mini truck and brought them to police station," he said.
The migrants, all residents of 'Bhaiyya Wadi' in Santacruz, were upset over the extension of the lockdown by another 19 days.
These people are daily wage workers who earn their living in Mumbai by doing odd jobs, the official said, adding that they are desperate to go to their homes in other states.
"We have arrested 25 labourers and the tempo driver Pralhad Yadav. All of them hail from Uttar Pradesh. We are looking for the tempo owner," said Santacruz police station senior inspector Shriram Koregaonkar.
He said each of the labourer had paid Rs 1500 for the journey.
"We have booked them under various sections including 188 (Disobeying the order promulgated by public servant) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and sections of the Epidemic Diseases Act," he said, adding that all the 25 people are released on bail.
The inspector said the migrants were getting food, but are anxious to go their homes.
In his address on Tuesday evening, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray tried to reach out to migrant workers stuck in Maharashtra and appealed them to stay put.
