Although it is early days of the coronavirus outbreak in the country, the crisis has already gotten the worst out of some of the depraved citizens of the society. Seemingly well-to-do people who have sufficient reserves of food and essential items in their homes have shunned any remaining modicum of morality and shamelessly indulged in rampant stockpiling of food and items of daily necessities as the country girds itself to battle the fallout of the nationwide lockdown amidst its fight against the virus.

Several videos are now doing the rounds on the Internet showing how scores of people are exploiting the current lockdown to make a profit out of a tragedy. Despite having an adequate amount of rations stocked up in their houses, they are calling up police and law enforcement officials to procure supplies of free food. In a series of tweets posted by Social Media user, Nandita Thakur, shows how people are amassing free food and essential items from multiple sources, only to rake in money out of it.

In the video, some police officials are seen carrying food to a family, which apparently had no food to eat because of the sweeping lockdown announced in the wake of coronavirus threat. However, when the police officials reach the house to deliver them food, they are astounded to see one of the female members of the family already cooking food. When they probe further about the availability of food, they see sacks of food grains and packets of packaged food stored in what appeared as the kitchen of the house. When asked for whom do they need the extra food for, the family members brazenly respond that they would sell the procured food.

Another one… they are well to do, have food at home and still calling helpline for free ration … sharam nahin aati hai in logon ko ??? pic.twitter.com/tcekKyu4yH — नंदिता ठाकुर (@nanditathhakur) March 30, 2020

In another video, suspicious police officers find stacks of food grains such as wheat, pulses, rice hidden beneath the bed. According to the police officials, the family had called up 112 emergency number complaining about the unavailability of food due to lockdown. However, when the police officials deliver packets of food to the family, they get suspicious of the family’s claim that they had no food to eat. After fishing around in the house, they find large quantities of wheat flour, rice grains, salt packets and other essential items hidden in various rooms of the house.

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While the country prepares itself to battle out the novel coronavirus, some of the immoral members of the society are busing undermining government’s efforts in minimising the impact of lockdown on the vulnerable sections of the society. However, despite having an abundance of food provisions already stocked up in their houses, these people deviously hid those supplies and had no qualms in applying for free food service by the government which was meant explicitly for providing food to the needy and underprivileged sections of the society.