Dhanbad: In arguably the first case of bulldozer action against organised crime in the state, police on Saturday demolished an alleged hideout linked to gangster Haider Ali alias Prince Khan in Dhanbad’s Wasseypur area.The action was carried out under the direction of SSP Prabhat Kumar and supervised by DSP (law and order) Prakash Soy. Heavy police deployment was in place while security was tightened in the area to prevent any untoward incident.SP (city) Ritwik Srivastava said, “The demolition was part of an ongoing drive against organised crime and was planned earlier.”He clarified that the action was not linked to recent developments and noted that attachment proceedings were previously carried out against properties associated with the gangster.The police action came at a time when Nirsa CPI(ML) MLA Arup Chatterjee alleged that he received extortion and death threats from the gangster. Chatterjee lodged an FIR at Nirsa police station on Saturday, naming both Khan and Dhanbad BJP MP Dulu Mahato as accused.Addressing a news conference at Dhanbad Circuit House, Mahato later claimed that he too received repeated threats from Khan. He alleged that he was threatened on July 1 during a visit to Delhi and received another call from an international number on Friday evening. The MP said he informed Dhanbad police and BJP leadership and played an audio clip of the alleged threat call before the media.Questioning the law-and-order situation, Mahato said that if elected representatives are facing threats from criminals, the safety of other citizens was also at risk. He demanded stricter laws against gangsters, mafias and organised criminals.Hitting back, Chatterjee alleged that Mahato was trying to portray himself as a victim to divert attention from his alleged links with Khan. “Why did the MP not lodge a police complaint after receiving the threats?” he asked.SSP Prabhat Kumar, however, said no formal or verbal complaint regarding threat calls was received from Mahato. Police said facts would emerge during the investigation into the FIR registered with Nirsa police station.
