Police have continued to make arrests across Dhaka for breach of stay-at-home orders on the second day of the nationwide lockdown imposed to curb a surge in COVID-19 cases and deaths.
Although the streets were almost empty due to rains and Friday being a weekly holiday, Dhaka Metropolitan Police said at the end of the day they arrested 320 people for going outside without a valid reason, reports bdnews24.com.
Mobile courts fined 208 people while DMP’s traffic department fined 68 cars.
Earlier, SI Palash Chandra Kar of Kalabagan Police Station said four people were apprehended in Kalabagan and Panthapath until the afternoon. The authorities will decide if they will be released on bond, or penalised by a mobile court.
“Our field officers have brought five people to the police station. We’ve not made a decision about them,” said SI Amena Begum, duty officer at Ramna Police Station.
As many as 12 arrestees were taken to the Mirpur Police Station. The high-ups would make a decision about them, said the station's Duty Officer Nuruzzaman.
Those defying the restrictions by heading out “without an emergency need” or violating the health protocols are being brought to book, police said.
The ‘toughest lockdown’ imposed by the government began at dawn on Thursday and will continue until Jul 7.
The army has been deployed to assist the civil administration in enforcing the lockdown restrictions. As many as 106 executive magistrates are conducting mobile courts across the country.
People may only leave home in case of an emergency and are required to wear masks outdoors. All large social gatherings are prohibited, while markets and offices are closed.
Public transport services are suspended and only emergency services vehicles are allowed on the roads.
At least 550 people were arrested on Thursday, the first day of lockdown for ‘going out without an emergency need’, according to police.
The number of arrestees might drop on Friday, as it was the weekend and also it rained, said DMP Deputy Commissioner Sazzadur Rahman of Ramna Division. “Most of the people stayed home.”