07 May,2020 07:10 AM IST | Mumbai | Anurag Kamble
People being checked before they board the Shramik Express. File pic
Unable to bear the separation from his live-in partner who was stuck in Sindhudurg for the entire period of the the lockdown till date, a Turbhe-based youth walked and hitch-hiked to the district and tried to bring her back with him. Their journey back was interrupted when they were stopped by the police and sent to a quarantine centre, as Thane district in which Turbhe comes, is a red zone.
As a result of the lovesick man's determination, 34 other people who interacted with him, including the girl's family, have also been quarantined.
The 24-year-old, a resident of Turbhe, works as a delivery boy. In March, his 24-year-old partner, a nurse in a private hospital, went to her home town in Kasal village in Sindhudurg district. But, after a few days, the Maharashtra government barred inter-district travel to try and curb the spread of COVID-19 resulting in her getting stuck there.
A file picture of a doctor at the quarantine centre at NSCI DOME, Worli. The man and his girlfriend are in quarantine at Lanja.
Journey for love
The youth who was missing her, became restless when April neared end and there were no signs of the lockdown being lifted. So he decided to travel to Sindhudurg, which is almost 500 km from Turbhe, to bring his girlfriend back home. Fortunately for him he didn't have too much work either. So he started on April 27 from Turbhe and asked vehicle drivers for a lift whenever he could.
"By walking and hitch-hiking, he managed to reach the village of Kasal on May 3. He stayed in a mandir for the night and then went to her house on May 4," said Assistant Police Inspector Sanjay Chaudhary from Lanja police station in Ratnagiri district.
The man convinced her family that the lockdown would be on for some time and he wanted to take her back with him to Turbhe. "The girl also told her family that she was consistently getting calls from the hospital to rejoin work. So on the morning of May 4, the couple began their journey towards Navi Mumbai," said another police officer.
Spotted by locals
The couple walked and hitch-hiked and managed to cross Ratnagiri district. But then their luck ran out when some alert locals spotted them and informed the police, "On May 5, they were spotted at a Shiv Bhojan centre having lunch. Some residents informed Lanja police. We rushed to the centre and took the couple with us," said the police officer.
"Without hesitation the boy revealed the reason behind the journey. We took him and the girl to a quarantine centre as he had come from a Red Zone, i.e. Thane district. He also came in contact with several people. They will be kept in isolation for 14 days then we will take a call on whether they should be released or sent to Sindhudurg," added API Choudhary.
34 quarantined
After the Lanja police informed the Sindhudurg police about the youth and his stay in the temple in Kasal village, 34 persons were quarantined as they had interacted with him. These include his girlfriend's family as well.
27
Day in April that the man began his journey
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