KOLKATA: As many as 871 people have been arrested in the city in a span of 24 hours since Tuesday 5 pm for defying the lockdown order imposed by the government in its attempt to contain the spread of Covid-19, a senior police officer said.
The arrests were made by the Kolkata Police during naka-checking and patrolling across the length and breadth of the city, he said.
Of the 871 held, 235 are from southeast division and 185 from eastern suburban division.
A total of 131 offenders were arrested from the central division and 81 more from southwest division, the officer said. Another 71 people were nabbed in port division, while 54 were picked up from south suburban division, he said.
Apart from that, police arrested 46 from north division, 47 from south and 21 from east division for violating the 'Total Safety Restrictions' put in place by the Mamata Banerjee government, he stated.
All of them will be prosecuted under IPC sections dealing with disobedience of order, the officer added.
Earlier in the day, a woman allegedly tried to assault a policeman and bite him in Salt Lake area when her car was stopped for defying the lockdown.
The woman, in her early 20s, was arrested for violating the restrictions and assaulting a public servant on duty, a senior officer of the Bidhannagar City Police said.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had repeatedly urged people to stay indoors unless absolutely necessary, and follow the guidelines set by the government.
Nine people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the state so far. Of them, one died at a city hospital on Monday afternoon.