Kaushambi, Sept. 5 -- Kaushambi Police on Friday arrested Shakeel Ahmed, an accused carrying a reward of Rs 50,000 in connection with the firecracker factory explosion case under Pipri police station limits, following a police encounter, officials said.

Police recovered an illegal pistol, live cartridge, empty cartridges and a motorcycle from the accused.

Further legal proceedings are underway.

According to Kaushambi Police, the accused tried to flee the area when a joint team from Bharwari and Manjhanpur police stations, along with the SOG team, launched a cordon-and-search operation based on specific information from an informer.

Providing details, Circle Officer (CO) Saurabh Samant said, "On September 4, an informant's tip-off was ...