Maha: Raid on resort, 47 detained for COVID-19 norms violation

Police have raided a resort in Maharashtra's Palghar district and detained 47 people for allegedly flouting COVID-19 prevention norms, an official said on Monday.

During the raid conducted on Sunday night on the resort, located in Alewadi area, the police and district administration teams found violation of the night curbs and other guidelines, the official from Boisar police station said.

The police detained 47 people, including the resort's staff members and customers, under relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Epidemic Diseases Act, he said.

In view of the rising graph of COVID-19 cases, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Friday directed officials to impose section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, under which gathering of five or more persons has been banned in night in the state from March 28.

The CM had also warned of stricter restrictions if people did not observe COVID-19 safety protocols.

Palghar district has so far reported 49,283 COVID-19 cases and 1,221 deaths due to the disease, an official from the district administration said.