Two cars parked near a home at Kharangajhar near Telco Colony in the Telco police station area were damaged allegedly for revenge over a dispute regarding gambling and boozing in the locality.

Jowhar Devnath’s cars were damaged after he led a group of local residents to the police station to complain about gambling and boozing in the area by some residents of adjoining Jyotinagar.

Apart from damaging the cars, the accused also pelted stones at Devnath’s home.

Devnath, a businessman, on Tuesday lodged an FIR against half a dozen persons and named three of them: Chhotku Prasad, Roshan Kumar and Vijay Gaunder.

The spot where the incident occurred is opposite Kharangajhar Community Ground. In the evenings, the ground turns into a den of antisocial activities. This has struck fear among the children and women of the locality.

“For the past five-six months, the number of antisocials has increased manifold. They often tease women and girls. This was why we, the residents of the locality, had approached the police. However, I had to pay a heavy price,” said Devnath.

He said that he had called 100 for police assistance and a police vehicle had visited the locality early on Tuesday. But it wasn’t enough to stop the criminals.

The officer in charge of the police station, Akhilesh Mandal, confirmed that the attack had taken place.

“We have registered an FIR in connection with the incident. We will soon find those involved,” Mandal said.

The administrative team conducting checks at sweets shops in Bokaro. Telegraph picture

Drive on ‘best before’ date on food items

The subdivisional officer of Dhanbad, Surendra Prasad, on Tuesday instructed sweet producers and sellers, as well as merchants like foodgrain traders, to mention the “best before” date on the packets of foodstuff.

“In case of sweets kept on the tray in the shop, the ‘best before’ date should be mentioned on the tray itself,” said Prasad and added that mustard oil should be sold without being mixed with any blended oil.

In Bokaro, a special administrative team on Tuesday conducted checks at more than a dozen sweets shops and restaurants to ensure that the “best before” date of the food items on sale were mentioned.

The team, headed by district food safety officer Apoorva Minz, also checked whether restaurants were observing Covid-19 protocols.

Minz said the team found three sweets shops, Kozy Sweets, Nutkhut and Sweet India, had mentioned the “best before date” on the sweets displayed at their counters. The other shops were warned on implementing the guidelines. The checks were conducted at Chas and Bokaro townships on the direction of subdivisional officer, Chas, Shashi Prakash Singh.

She said India’s food regulator, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), had directed that sweet outlets must display the date of manufacturing and “best before” date of their products. The idea is to ensure that consumption of such products does not pose a health hazard to the consumers. The step has also been taken to control the issues of adulteration and use of sub-standard products.

Dhanbad subdivisional officer Surendra Prasad (with microphone) at a meeting with representatives of the Dhanbad Bar Association on Tuesday. Gautam Dey

Covid test for Dhanbad Bar Association members

Dhanbad subdivisional officer Surendra Prasad on Tuesday held a meeting with the office-bearers of Dhanbad Bar Association and discussed organising a camp soon to test more than 3,000 members of the body.

Prasad said asymptomatic cases detected during the camp will be given the facility to quarantine at home while more serious patients will be admitted to the hospital. He assured the lawyers that he would be the first person to be tested at the camp.

“The testing of such a large number of lawyers will create a record, besides helping break the chain of spread,” he said.

Koderma superintendent of police Ehtesham Waquarib with the seized explosives on Tuesday. Vishvendu Jaipuriar

Koderma police seize explosives

Police in Koderma seized a huge cache of explosives on Tuesday after a tip-off.

Superintendent of police Ehtesham Waquarib said a pick-up van was seized on Monday in which they found power gelatins.

Mumtaz Mian, the arrested driver, during interrogation gave details following which a raid was conducted at a home at Manjhaldih village in Nawalshahi police station area. Waquarib said 1,400 gelatin sticks, 600 pieces of power gel and 725 detonators were seized. An FIR has been registered in this connection.

Death during illegal mining

An unidentified elderly woman died during illegal mining at Jamunia colliery in the Baghmara area, about 20km from the Dhanbad district headquarters, on Tuesday morning when the coal mound under which she was working collapsed on her due to which she was buried alive.

The family members of the woman who were also working with her took away the dead body before police could arrive.

The officer in charge of Baghmara police station, Santosh Kumar Jha, said: “We have no information with regard to the death of any person during illegal mining.”