Police turn back 500 people attempting to escape locked-down Narayanganj

Police have stopped and turned back almost 500 people as they attempted to leave Narayanganj, a hotspot for coronavirus in Bangladesh, in defiance of lockdown norms.

Law enforcers blocked the exodus after conducting a series of drives along the Buriganga River in the Sadar Upazila's Tagarpar, Maurapatti, Signboard and Dharmaganj areas late Tuesday, according to Fatullah Police OC Aslam Hossain. Seven pick-up vans, a truck and a water vessel were confiscated in the process.

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to wreak havoc across the world, health experts have reiterated the need to practise social distancing in order to contain the spread of infections.

Bangladesh, like most other countries, imposed a nationwide lockdown and urged people to stay home amid a surge in cases and deaths in the country.

Movement in and out of several districts, including Narayanganj, has also been restricted.

Nevertheless, lower-income people stranded in Narayangang have been trying to escape the lockdown and return home, spreading the virus in many other districts in the process.

A river police patrol at Fatullah's Dharmaganj intercepted a Kishoreganj-bound bulkhead ship carrying about 70 people around 11:45 pm on Tuesday, said OC Aslam. The passengers were subsequently sent home.

Later, a truck carrying almost 60 people was stopped in the Signboard area around 1:30 am on Wednesday by a team of law enforcers led by Fatullah Police Inspector Tariqul Islam. The passengers were heading to Kishoreganj from Panchabati but were later sent home while the truck was seized.

Police also detained three pick-up vans with about 150 people in Fatullah's Tagarpar while another four carrying nearly 200 people were seized in Maurapatti.

The passengers were mostly factory workers in Fatullah, who are currently out of jobs due to the shutdown, according to OC Aslam. They were trying to flee to their villages due to fears of getting infected with the virus.