1,499 arrested for breaching lockdown rules

Syed Shemul Parvez :
Police arrested around 1,499 people from the different parts of the capital in the first three days of strict lockdown for going outside without emergency need, said Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP).
According to sources, members of the law enforcement forces detained 1,499 people in the capital and sent them to the Dhaka Metropolitan Court for violating the ban in the last three days.
The court imposed a fine of Tk 100 to Tk 500 under various sections of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police Ordinance 1976.
The court ordered one to three days imprisonment for non-payment of fine
According to the court, 1,499 people have been fined of various amounts till the third day of the strict ban. Of these, 263 were fined on Thursday, 629 on Friday and 607 on Saturday.
The detainees are being released from the court after paying the fine. And those who cannot pay the fine are being sent to jail. They are being released at the end of their imprisonment, said Public Prosecutor of Dhaka Metropolitan Court Abdullah Abu .
On Saturday, on the third day of a week-long strict lockdown, police detained as many as 621 people across the capital for going outside without emergency need.
Besides, around 855 cases of violation of restrictions were registered in the capital on the day.
In addition, a fine of Tk 19 lakh 22 thousand 550 has been collected through the mobile court, DMP officials also added.
Iftekharul Islam, the Additional Deputy Commissioner of media and public relations division of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, told the New Nation on Saturday evening.
Earlier on Friday, as many as 320 people were also arrested on the second day of the nationwide strict lockdown for violation of the stay-at-home order and prosecuted under the DMP Ordinance.
Mobile courts fined another 208 people for staying outside without a valid reason of the day.
Besides, owners of 219 vehicles were slapped with fines worth Tk545,500 for violating the lockdown restrictions.
On Thursday, police arrested 550 people and detained 373 people, who were later released on bond, from different areas in the city.
Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has announced that they will conduct operations any time even at villages including the capital Dhaka in order to enforce one-week strict lockdown aiming to contain Covid-19 infections.
Commander Khandaker Al Moin, director of RAB’s legal and media wing, made the announcement at a press briefing at Dhanmondi’s Russel Square in the capital on Saturday (July 03).
A total of 166 patrol teams and 145 check posts were set up by RAB across the country. RAB mobile courts fined 403 people a total of Tk2,15,540 during the first two days of the lockdown.
The army has also been deployed to patrol the streets of the capital, as the government tries to bring the Covid-19 situation under control.