18 die, 24 hurt in explosives factory blast in Maharashtra
Nagpur, March 1: At least 18 workers were charred to death, and 24 others were injured, most of them critically, in a powerful blast that tore through an explosives manufacturing factory in Maharashtra’s Nagpur district on Sunday morning, police said. The explosion occurred at the detonator packing unit of SBL Energy Limited, a mining and industrial explosives manufacturer, at Raulgaon in Katol tehsil between 7 AM and 7:15 AM. With one more person succumbing to injuries during treatment later in the day, the death toll has mounted to 18, a police officer said, adding that 24 injured workers are undergoing treatment at two hospitals in Nagpur. The bodies were charred beyond recognition, and samples of the family members were being taken for DNA testing to ascertain the identities of the deceased, police said. (PTI)
YouTuber stabbed to death; Army jawan, 2 others held
Bhubaneswar, March 1: A 32-year-old YouTuber has been allegedly stabbed to death following a minor altercation in Bhubaneswar, police said on Sunday. The incident took place in GGP Colony under the jurisdiction of Mancheswar police station around 9.30 pm on Saturday, and the deceased was identified as Rahul Maharana, a resident of Palasuni locality in the city. Three persons, including an Army jawan and his two nephews, were arrested, a police officer said. He said Maharana, who got married a couple of months ago, was attacked with a sharp weapon following an altercation with the intoxicated trio. The arrested persons have been identified as Army jawan Sangram Kesari Behera (37) alias Satura and his two nephews, Samarendra Behera (20) alias Muna, and Sangram Behera (24) alias Kuna, he said. (PTI)
Habitual gambler kills wife, 3 daughters in Delhi; held
New Delhi, March 1: A 42-year-old habitual gambler allegedly killed his wife and three minor daughters by slitting their throats at their home in outer north Delhi’s Siraspur area before fleeing to Rajasthan, police said on Sunday, adding that he was arrested after a 72-hour multi-state manhunt. The accused, identified as Munchun Kewat alias Ashish, is a vegetable seller at Azadpur Mandi. He was in debt and had a quarrel with his wife over the issue before the murders. He was apprehended from Kishangarh in Ajmer district of Rajasthan. The bodies of Anita (30) and her three daughters – aged three, four and five years – were found inside their one-room house in Chandan Park, Siraspur, on February 25. All four had their throats slit with a sharp-edged weapon. A PCR call was received in the morning, following which a police team from Samaypur Badli police station reached the spot. Kewat was found missing from the house and immediately emerged as the prime suspect. Investigators analysed footage from over 800 CCTV cameras and used Facial Recognition System (FRS) technology to trace the movements of the accused. Teams were dispatched to Bihar, Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan. After technical surveillance indicated he had boarded a train towards Ajmer, he was intercepted in Kishangarh. (PTI)
