Chandauli/Mahoba (UP), Nov 2 Ahead of Diwali, police have seized over 1.7 tonnes of illegal firecrackers and explosive material in separate operations in Chandauli and Mahoba districts of Uttar Pradesh and arrested three people, officials said on Monday.
In Chandauli, police recovered 525 kg of illegal firecrackers from a shop selling lai-chura, a popular puffed rice snack, in the Saiyadraja area and arrested a man in connection with the seizure.
Station House Officer Ashok Kumar Mishra said the shop was located opposite the Ram Janki temple in Ambedkar Nagar locality.
The firecrackers were allegedly being sold clandestinely under the cover of the snack shop and were seized following a tip-off received by the police beat staff, he said.
The arrested accused has been identified as Manoj Kumar, a resident of Ward No. 1 in Saiyadraja town.
A case has been registered against him under Section 288 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 9B of the Explosives Act, and further legal proceedings are underway, police said.
In a separate operation in Mahoba district, a joint enforcement team seized around 1,250 kg of illegal explosive material from a van after receiving information that explosives were being transported illegally in the vehicle, Additional Superintendent of Police Vandana Singh said.
The vehicle was checked following the input, but the occupants failed to produce valid documents authorising the transportation of the explosive material, she said.
A case has been registered against four people at the Kabrai police station under relevant provisions of law. Two of them have been arrested and are being sent to judicial custody, Singh said.
The seized explosive material was safely stored in a magazine, a designated facility for storing explosives, the officer added.
(PTI News)
