Eleven migrant labourers on long march back home caught

Eleven migrant labourers were caught while trying to escape to Saharanpur through forests and a case was registered against a WhatsApp group admin for spreading rumour that they were jamaatis, police said on Friday. The migrant labourers were caught when they reached a village named Syalna on their way and the villagers informed the police saying some “dubious” persons had entered the village on foot, Badkot police station SHO D S Kohli said. Police rushed to the spot with a medical team and brought the labourers to Badkot where they were medically examined to ascertain if they had symptoms of COVID-19, Kohli said.

Preliminary investigations revealed they were trying to reach Saharanpur through the Ganga ghati and Yamuna ghati forests in Uttarkashi district, the official said. Meanwhile, someone spread a rumour on WhatsApp saying they were jamaatis, Kohli said.

A case has been registered against the admin of the WhatsApp group under the Disaster Management Act and relevant sections of the IPC, he said..