BERHAMPUR: Playing Kabaddi during the pandemic proved costly for 16 youths who were booked by Digapahandi police on Friday for violating Covid-19 norms.

The youths were reportedly playing Kabaddi at Athagadia in Digapahandi when someone clicked their picture and sent it to Ganjam Collector Vikay Kulange.

Kulange immediately directed local tehsildar Adwaita Kumar Swain to verify the photo. Swain along with executive officer of Digapahandi NAC Prafulla Chandra Dakua reached the place and found the youths playing the game.

“On the basis of the FIR lodged by the officials, we registered a case against 16 youths,” said Digapahandi IIC Basant Kumar Sethy.

Sources said in view of the steady surge in positive cases in the district, the administration and police have intensified enforcement of Covid guidelines in Ganjam. On the day, a team led by SDM Sweta Kumar Das raided several petrol pumps in and around the city. A petrol pump on NH-16 near Kanisi was sealed for violating Covid-19 guidelines.

Besides, a fine of Rs 1.15 lakh was collected from 10 petrol pumps for flouting social distancing norm and other rules.

Similarly, Ganjam police collected a fine of Rs 1.46 lakh from people violating mask rule and other norms. Berhampur police also collected Rs 1.59 lakh penalty from violators.

The city police seized three bags of fried items and as many bags of packed Haridakhandi Pan Masala and detained one Ravi Reddy in this connection.

The value of the seized items is around Rs 1 lakh, police said.

Meanwhile, Covid hotspot Ganjam reported 279 new positive cases and three deaths in the last 24 hours.

Of the new cases, 27 are frontline workers, one has travel history and the rest 251 are active contacts. The three victims who succumbed to the virus are in the age group of 50 to 62 years and are males.

Two of them also suffered from diabetes and hypertension. With this, the Covid-19 death toll in the district rose to 123.

So far, Ganjam has reported 12,359 Covid-19 cases of which 9,611 have recovered.