New Delhi: Delhi Police seized over 2,200 kg of firecrackers this year ahead of Diwali. Police sources said that most of these firecrackers had been brought from other states. More than 10 people were apprehended.
"Most of the accused sellers rented godowns in areas like Prem Nagar, Baprola and Kirari under the pretext of storing something else. In one case, police nabbed two men who were hiding the crackers among groceries," a police source said.
Earlier this month, Delhi govt had announced a complete ban on all types of firecrackers, including the green firecrackers, till Jan 1, 2025, in view of the spike in the pollution level in the city.
The first police raid was conducted on Oct 11 at a godown in Baprola village. The cops recovered several boxes of firecrackers, weighing over 850 kg. Two men—the owner of the godown and the supplier of the crackers—were arrested. Both Manoj Kumar and Sanjay Atri were found to be operating without the necessary licences. The supplier, Atri, told us that he used to bring firecrackers from Rohtak.
Another raid was conducted in Kirari, from where cops recovered 500 kg of crackers from a godown. Illegal firecrackers weighing 505 kg were confiscated from a shop in Central Market of Madangir. Another raid was conducted at a godown in Rohini's Sector 11, where police recovered more than 300 kg of firecrackers.
Two men were arrested with more than 100 kg of firecrackers in Sultanpuri. Based on their information, police raided a warehouse in Aman Vihar, seized 93 kg of firecrackers, and arrested the accused.