The city police on Monday stepped up its action against lockdown violators and booked over 2,000 people and impounded over 7,000 vehicles, the most in a single day after the lockdown was announced in the fourth week of March.
On Sunday itself. Mumbai police booked 2061 people under IPC section 188 (disobedience of order duly promulgated by public servant) for violating the lockdown norms this is the highest number of people booked on a single day.
Previous high was of 1,164 people which were booked on April 14 while the average number of people booking for lockdown violations is around 196 per day since the lockdown was announced in the city. The number of people booked for lockdown violations was reduced from June 1 as the state has eased the restriction as part of its mission begin again.
Of those who were booked on Sunday, 1046 were arrested and released in bail while 701 were served notices, 314 are reportedly shown wanted, said Mumbai police.
On Sunday, Mumbai police impounded as many as 7,075 vehicles another record in terms on number since the lockdown was announced. This included 2,000 vehicles impounded by traffic cops as well.
As the number of COVID19 cases refused climbed down, the city police on Sunday issued new directives and asked the people not to venture beyond 2 km from their homes, the movements of medical emergencies, for essential services and for office goers have been exempted from the new restrictions.
At the beginning of June, the state government had eased the lockdown, in keeping with its Mission Begin Again, allowing partial public and vehicular movement. But misconstruing this, people have been thronging streets and roads have been clogged with traffic.
"The threat of COVID19 still persists and as the lockdown eased many people have been found violating the norms endangering their own and other health at risk. It is our appeal that all citizens behave responsibly and avoid unnecessary movement," said DCP Pranay Ashok, Mumbai police spokesperson.
While issuing the new guidelines the city police has warned the Mumbaikars those found violating the new norms will be booked while their vehicles will be strictly impounded if found venturing beyond 2 kms boundary. As a result booking in thousands and thousands of vehicles seized were seen.
As the new norms were set and Mumbai police started to book people and impound their vehicles without prior notice, many took to social media and questioned this last minute arrangements.
