The police on Saturday stopped a group of migrant workers at Lakkidi on the Wayanad-Kozhikode district border when they were walking to their native places in Bihar, nearly 2,500 km away from here.
The Vythiri police took 15 migrant workers into protective custody and informed District Labour Officer K. Suresh.
District Police Chief R. Ilango told The Hindu that it was suspected that the migrants had taken the extreme step after they were misled by some people. However, no case had been registered in this connection, he said.
The workers said they had been working in a brick kiln at Pandi Kadavu near Mananthavady. But dearth of work and money and inadequate supply of food after the lockdown had made their life miserable.
Later, the District Labour Officer held discussions with the workers and assured them that they would be sent back to their native places by train at the earliest.
The workers had registered through the local administrative bodies for their return journey, but a train for the purpose was yet to be allotted, Mr. Suresh said. The delay might have compelled them to take the extreme step, he added.
A train for registered workers would be readied in a few days, he added.
The workers were sent back to their camps in a vehicle after being provided with food and drinking water.
