Kolkata, A total of 980 people have been

arrested in the city in a span of 24 hours since Wednesday 5pm for defying the lockdown order imposed by the government in its attempt to contain the spread of COVID-19, a senior police officer here said.

The arrests were made by the Kolkata Police during naka-checking and patrolling across the metropolis, he said

Of the 980 apprehended, 284 people were from the central division, 166 from the south division and 112 from the eastern suburban division.

Another 111 were nabbed from the south suburban division, 61 from the south east division and 84 held from the north division, the officer said.

In the east division, 20 people were arrested for flouting ‘Total Safety Restrictions’, while 71 each were apprehended from the south west division and the port division, he said.

Those arrested will be prosecuted under IPC sections dealing with disobedience of order, the officer added.

Requesting people to strictly adhere to the lockdown order, Kolkata Police Commissioner Anuj Sharma has directed officers to take strong legal action against those found violating the norms.

“Don’t come out without valid permission /reasons. I have asked Officers @KolkataPolice to be stringent & take strong legal action. My appeal to citizens to kindly cooperate & #StayHomeStaySafe during #CoronavirusLockdown We shall continue with legal action against violators,” Sharma tweeted.