Police have detained over 100 people from the Mirpur, Ramna, Mohammadpur and Shahbagh areas of Dhaka for going outside ‘without emergency need’ during the nationwide lockdown imposed to curb a surge in COVID-19 cases and deaths.
The ‘toughest lockdown’ imposed by the government began at dawn on Thursday and will continue until Jul 7, reports bdnews24.com.
Over 100 people have been arrested from various parts of Mirpur for leaving home during the lockdown ‘unnecessarily’, said Mahtab Uddin, deputy commissioner of police for the Mirpur Division.
So far 36 cases have been filed and up to Tk 99,000 has been collected in fines, said Darus Salam Police OC Tofayel Ahmed.
The number of detainees will be updated as the day goes on, he said.
Two people were arrested at the Sugandha intersection and two others at Shahbagh for ‘going outside unnecessarily’, said Harun-or-Rashid, additional deputy commissioner of police from the Ramna Division.
“Legal action will be taken against them under the Penal Code for violating government orders,” he told bdnews24.com.
“We have arrested 10 people so far for going outside without sufficient cause,” Mahin Farazi, assistant commissioner of the Mohammadpur Zone.
RAB, like police, have set up checkposts at intersections across the city to help enforce restrictions on the first day of the lockdown.
“We began inspections this morning,” said RAB Executive Magistrate Palash Kumar Basu, who was stationed outside BIRDEM. “Most of the people we inspected were able to show sufficient cause. Some were seeking medical treatment, while others were travelling abroad.”
A notice from the Cabinet Division on Wednesday said that the lockdown would last from 6 am on Thursday to midnight on Jul 7 and that the army would be deployed alongside law enforcers to ensure restrictions were followed.