Altaf Hamid Rao
Mirpur (AJK)
Mirpur police netted at least eleven persons on the spot during their abortive attempt to creep into this district from adjoining Punjab province through the unlawful routes defying the strict lock-down to ban complete entry into Azad Jammu Kashmir to avert the spread of novel corona virus, police said.
A case has been registered against all of the arrested accused after they were caught by the local police for entering into the territory of Mirpur district through the illegal routes violating the prohibitory orders imposed for ensuring the fool-proof lock down to discourage the spread of the pandemic in the state, Mierpur Senior Superintendent of Police Raja Irfan Saleem said on Tuesday.
Talking to reporters, the SSP said that during an inensive operation to discourage the unncessary movement of the masses during the lock-down, police rounded up a total of 107 persons for violating the lock-down during last 48 hours till late Monday. They were involved in violating the law in spite of relaxation in the lock-down in the district imposed by the government in Azad Jammu Kashmir with effect from April 25 – after passing of the month long full lock-down to avert spread of the pandemic of novel corona virus in the state, he said.
Irfan Salim continued that the police also seized at least 77 motor vehicles including rickshaws and motor bikes on the charge of violating the strict ban on movement of the public service vehicles and riding the bikes with double passengers during the lock down in various parts of the disctrict. He said that arrests were made in a total of 23 cases registered in different police stations including Mirpur city, Thothal, New City, Islamgarh and Mangla against the accused for blatantly violating the lock-down to overcome spread of the deadly virus – Covid-19.
Irfan Salim said that since there was complete ban on plying of inter-city, inter-district and inter-provincial public transport, the police impounded a total of 53 rickshaws besides arresting their drivers as well as seizing 07 motor bikes.
