Court hearing at 3 am, jail by 5 am: All 17 Moradabad stone-pelters, accused of attacking medical team, sent to police custody

New Delhi: All the 17 Moradabad stone pelters, who are accused of attacking a frontline healthcare workers, were on Saturday (April 18) sent to 14-day police custody after an urgent hearing was arranged for the matter at 3 am on Friday (April 17). 

The Uttar Pradesh Police produced all the 17 accused, including seven women, before the remand magistrate at his official residence at 3 am today after which they were all sent to 14-day police custody. At 5:00 am today, all the accused were taken to the Moradabad jail and put behind bars, almost within two hours after the matter was heard by the magistrate. All have been kept in a separate barrack at the jail, possibly in a bid to quarantine them from other prisoners.

According to the police, a doctor and four other health workers were injured after a mob tried to stop a team from taking a coronavirus COVID-19 infected man into isolation and hurled stoned at them. The incident took place on April 15 at Nawabpura area in Moradabad. 

Moradabad Chief Medical Officer Milind Garg said the mob suddenly appeared as the ambulance was driving away with the coronavirus-infected man and started pelting stones.

A total of 17 persons were arrested for pelting stones on the ambulance carrying a quarantine team of medical personnel and police.

Moradabad District Magistrate Rakesh Kumar Singh said the situation has been brought under control and police deployed in large numbers in the area.