Maharashtra Police on Thursday, 26 March, found over 300 migrant workers crammed inside two container trucks which were ostensibly carrying essential commodities from Telangana to Rajasthan.
The shocked officials found that the workers, who hailed from Rajasthan, had chosen this surreptitious and dangerous mode of travel as they wanted to return home.
Reports of desperate migrant workers heading home amid lockdown on account of the novel coronavirus pandemic are emerging from many parts of the country.
A team of police and revenue department officials stopped two container trucks coming from Telangana in the border district of Yavatmal for inspection.
"The officials at Pandharkavda toll booth found something was fishy as the drivers could not give a satisfactory answer as to what the trucks were carrying and where," said a senior official.
"Inside, they found some 300 daily wagers in two containers. Some of them said they wanted to go back to their home state, Rajasthan and could not find any other mode of transport," he said.
Action will be taken against the drivers of the trucks, but officials are at a loss as to how to deal with the hapless workers.
"We do not know what to do with them. They need to go home for survival. We will take some decision soon," he said.
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