Sources said that Navin (25) and wife Ramya, both residents of Madukarai in Coimbatore, became jobless due to the lockdown in view of the pandemic. Navin had taken loans up to Rs 30,000 for his mother’s medical expenses, but could not repay the amount without a job. He was also unable to pay rent for his house for the past two months. After learning that work with accommodation was being offered at a brick kiln in Chennai, he along with his wife and daughter started their trip by foot to Chennai six days back.

“They had subsisted on food provided by locals en route and were walking through the Chennai national highway service road near Green Circle in Vellore,” when I spotted them on Monday, said Ravi Shankar, an activist, who enquired and learnt about their journey.

“I was moved on hearing their plight. So I gave my car to them to reach Chennai,” he said. When asked about getting e-registration to travel to Chennai, he said, “My car is plastered with stickers about the free services we provide during the pandemic and the driver faced no problem.” The car returned the same night after dropping the family at St Thomas Mount in Chennai, confirmed Ravi Shankar.