Police on Monday said it arrested six shopkeepers and booked 46 persons from different parts of Kashmir for violating the lockdown curbs to prevent spread of coronavirus. A police statement said six shopkeepers were arrested in the jurisdiction of police station Batamaloo. They statement identified the arrested persons as Abdul Gani Sheikh, Waseem Ahmad Sheikh – both residents of Baranpather Batamaloo; Hilal Ahmad Wani of Iqbal Colony, Sonwar; Showkat Hussain Mir of Shivpora, Sonawar, Ghulam Mohi-Ud-Din Pandit of Iqbal Abad, Bemina and Nisar Ahmad Dar of HMT. Meanwhile, police in Handwara and Sopore booked 44 persons and seized 25 vehicles. A separate statement said police in Handwara, in its efforts to ensure complete lockdown, booked 30 persons for violating the prohibitory orders in Handwara and Vilgam. Two vehicles have also been seized in Vilgam, the statement said. In another action, police in Sopore booked 14 persons for violating the government orders. In Awantipora, police seized 23 vehicles and 14 bikes from different areas of Awantipora for violating the government orders. Police have requested people to follow the restrictions imposed by the government to prevent spread of COVID19. Meanwhile, police said it distributed food and other items in Srinagar and Kupwara districts and Awantipora area of Pulwama district.In Srinagar, Police and CRPF distributed food and other items at Kaksaraie among the needy persons, who were in need of the essentials. Police also distributed food items among daily wagers and labourers residing in Shivpora area. Similarly, police along with an NGO distributed care kits among the needy people in Nowhatta area. In Kupwara, police teams from police station Kupwara and police post PP Bazar distributed food and other items among the needy people living in the area who have been affected by the lockdown. Similarly, police in Handwara and Awantipora distributed food and dry ration among the needy including stranded migrant labourers.
