Cooch Behar: A crude bomb was allegedly thrown at a house in the Kharij Fuleswari area under Putimari Fuleswari Gram Panchayat on Tuesday night, reportedly over a dispute involving IPL online betting. The blast blew off the tin roof, but no injuries were reported.
Locals said armed miscreants arrived in a car and targeted the residence of Manoj Modak. At the time, Modak was not at home, but his wife and young child were present. They narrowly escaped unharmed.
When villagers rushed to the scene, the attackers allegedly threatened them with firearms. However, as more residents gathered, the miscreants fled, abandoning their vehicle, which was later seized by locals and handed over to police.
Modak alleged that he placed online bets using an ID provided by Sakinur and Jaynal Hassan, who operate an illegal IPL betting network. “I placed bets using that ID and now owe them some money. I was being repeatedly threatened and now they attacked my house. My family barely escaped. I urge the police to act,” he said.
Local Gram Panchayat member Gopal Barman said: “The attack appears to be over a financial dispute. It has created fear in the village. We’ve informed the police, who are investigating.” Police have not confirmed any arrests as of the time of reporting.