Over 100 persons, including children, were affected by food poisoning in the western suburbs falling in the Bandra-Santacruz belt after consuming sweetmeats on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan today. The affected persons, who had bought the sweets from six shops at Golibar in Bandra, Jawahar Nagar in Khar, and Santacruz (east), started vomiting in the afternoon after eating the pedas and were rushed to V N Desai Hospital, Santacruz (E).

API Rauf Shaikh of Vakola police station said though 75 persons, mainly children, are still admitted at the hospital, all victims are said to be out of danger and will be discharged soon. ``Though no arrests have been made so far, we are questioning owners of the `mithai' shops to know the source of contamination,'' said Rauf.

Bogus stamp racket busted

Eight persons were arrested for allegedly possessing fake postal revenue stamps worth Rs 73 lakh at Mira Road, Thane on Wednesday evening.

Fake Re 1 and Rs 2 postal stamps,with a total worth of Rs 2120, were allegedly found with Phoolchand Jain, a resident of CGS quarters, Ghatkopar. Phoolchand told police that he was to pass on the stamps to Umesh Khandelwal who would circulate them from the city's General Post Office near Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) station.

A raid at Khandelwal's Zaveri Bazaar residence allegedly revealed fake postal stamps worth Rs 89,000 and revenue stamps valued around Rs 4800.