1,400kg explosives stored illegally, seized and destroyed in Itaunja

Lucknow: Police seized large quantity of illegally stored explosive material, including firecrackers and country-made ‘sutli' bombs, estimated to be worth around Rs 45 lakh, during a raid at a warehouse in Itaunja area of Lucknow. The explosives seized were later destroyed by police after a detailed safety assessment, officials said on Tuesday.According to police, the recovery was part of ongoing drive against crime and criminal activities. A confidential informant tipped off Itaunja police about the illegal storage of locally manufactured firecrackers, ‘sutli' bombs, and factory-made crackers at a warehouse located near Nagar Chaungawa Mor in Itaunja town, warning that the stock posed serious risk of a major fire accident.
Sub-inspector Arvind Kumar Tiwari, along with police personnel and North Zone surveillance team, reached the spot and in presence of witnesses, police opened and searched four shops operating on the warehouse premises."Police recovered 200 cartons of mixed-brand firecrackers weighing approximately 3,179 kg and 20 sacks of illegally manufactured country-made ‘sutli' bombs, with a total weight of about 1,400 kg. In all, nearly 4.6 tonnes of explosive material was seized. The stock recovered falls under punishable offences under Sections 4 and 5 of the Explosives Act, 1908," said Rishabh Runwal, additional DCP, North. Police said the material seized was burnt in an open area on Tuesday evening after hours of inspection and safety assessment by experts. The debris was subsequently buried to eliminate any residual risk.A case under Case Crime was registered at Itaunja police station against Imran, Adil and Abrar, all residents of Ward No 9, Itaunja town, under the Explosives Act. Police said legal proceedings were underway and further investigation was being carried out to trace source of explosives and identify any wider network involved.