Two more cops succumb to coronavirus, Mumbai police toll 22

MUMBAI: A police constable died of Covid-19 on Saturday, taking the police personnel toll to 22 in the city and 33 in the state – according to police records. Another constable succumbed to the virus on Friday. Till late on Saturday, city police were reluctant to share details of the two recent deaths in the force.
The city police report showed that 253 officers and 1,518 constables/assistant sub inspectors had tested positive for Covid-19 till June 5, of which 697 have recovered.
The report also said that since June 1, 245 police personnel tested positive.
The first police death was reported on April 25—head constable Chandrakant Pendurkar, of Vakola police station. In at least four of the 22 deaths, four did not show comorbidities. Officers said there are several ways they could get infected—patrolling, arranging facilities for migrants, bandobast duties in slum pockets, among others. The maximum number of personnel who tested positive were from J J Marg police station, with 46 cases.
Additionally, five officers and 73 constables/assistant sub inspectors of the State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) platoons deployed in the city’s red zones and slum areas, have also tested positive.