Loiterers defying nationwidelockdown were severely penalized on Thursday in Bihar, where close to 40 people ended up in jails, over 1,300 vehicles were impounded and violators ended up coughing up nearly Rs 24 lakh in fines, a top police officer said.According to Additional Director General of Police, Headquarters, Jitendra Kumar, a total of 1,388 vehicles have been seized across the state till 6 pm, in addition to 822 till midnight on the previous day.The number of arrested people was 37, a sharp rise from nine on Wednesday, while the number of FIRs registered on Thursday was 71.On Wednesday the number of cases registered till 6 pm stood at 41, but soared to 93 by the end of the day.Fines slapped on violators amounted to a total of Rs 23.79 lakh, which was in addition to penalties of Rs 21.33 lakh imposed the day before.Lockdown was initially imposed across the state on Sunday night by the Nitish Kumar government till March 31, in an attempt to check the spread of Covid-19.The restrictions have become more stringent since Tuesday night when Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an unprecedented nationwide lockdown till April 14.According to figures made available by the police headquarters, the total number of people who have ended up behind bars for defying lockdown orders in the last three days stands at 85 and altogether 3,615 vehicles have been seized since March 24.Fines to the tune of Rs 69.73 lakh have been slapped on violators during the period and 215 FIRs registered.The lockdown provides for taking action against violators under the National Disaster Management Act and Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code.However, police claim that those venturing out of their homes for fetching essential items like food or medicines are not facing any action.
