Police personnel at the Vangapalayam Pirivu check post in Karur, Tamil Nadu on Friday, halted motorists, informing them that a COVID-19 patient was on a loose, media reports said. People, who were out during the lockdown hours, were shocked when the alleged patient hopped on the pillion seat out of nowhere, asking them for a ride home.

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“We tell the rider that the patient was roaming on a motorcycle like them and now got infected with coronavirus. He could not see the misery of patients in the hospital and therefore escaped from there,” T Ramesh, inspector of Vengamedu police station, told The Times of India.

The police would stop motorists at the check post for inquiry and tell them about the COVID-19 patient only to see the alleged sufferer jump onto their vehicles. 

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“We see them panicking on finding a COVID-19 patient sitting so close to them. They try to chase him away or desperately try to cover their face with their belongings,”  Ramesh added.

The police enlisted some volunteers too to execute the experiment. Ramesh told TOI that he could find a slight decrease in the number of commuters coming out unnecessarily after their campaign. 

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Justifying the campaign, the inspector said that the police’s intention was not to create panic among people as only youth who appeared to be out unnecessarily were targeted.

Tamil Nadu reported 36,184 fresh COVID-19 cases and 467 deaths on Friday. The state government on Saturday extended the ongoing lockdown till May 31.