COIMBATORE: Coimbatore city police on Wednesday arrested five north Indian lorry drivers who allegedly attempted to transport more than 200 migrant workers to their natives states - Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh - in violation of curfew norms.
According to police, the drivers of five lorries who came to the city for delivery of consignments allegedly agreed to offer a drop to the stranded workers at their respective states after every person agreed to pay `3,000. After picking the workers near Eachanari, located on the outskirts of the city, the lorries were heading towards Avinashi, during the wee hours of Wednesday, police said. On suspicion, police personnel on patrol intercepted the lorries at AG Pudur Bypass on Chenngapalli-Walayar stretch of the National Highway and found more than 200 workers hiding under tarpaulins in the carts of the vehicles.
Further investigation revealed that the migrant workers, employed at various places in Pollachi, Anaimalai and Udumalai, gathered at a place frequented by lorries near Eachanari and struck the deal with the five lorry drivers.
”The drivers also took `500 as advance from the workers,” a police official said, adding that a case has been registered.The arrested have been identified as Rajendrasingh (40), Prashanth (38), Anilkumar (28) from New Delhi, Indharpal Singh (28) and Mukesh Patil (32) from Uttar Pradesh.While, the lorries were seized, the five were later released on a station bail. The police said that the migrants were provided a facility to stay in a marriage hall in the outskirts of the city.