Over 700 kg of banned crackers seized, 2 held

The Delhi Police have seized 725 kg of banned firecrackers in two separate operations carried out in Dwarka and Najafgarh areas and nabbed two people for illegally stockpiling the crackers, an official said on Tuesday.

Acting on a tip-off, a team raided a house in Uttam Nagar and apprehended Gaurav Gupta, the officer said, adding that 77 kg of firecrackers were recovered from his residence.

Gupta, who earlier sold firecrackers with a valid licence till 2022, continued the trade despite the ban on the sale and use of prohibited fireworks, the police said.

In another raid, the team apprehended Rajeev Kumar (52), a resident of Najafgarh, after recovering 648 kg of illegal firecrackers stored at a storage unit in Shyam Vihar.

The items were kept under the guise of a carton storage unit in a densely populated area, posing a serious threat to public safety, the police said.

Further investigation is on to identify the supply chain and other persons involved, they added.