Kolkata, Oct. 29 -- Ahead of Kali Puja and Diwali, Kolkata Police seized around 110 kg of banned firecrackers from an abandoned building in Burrabazar late on Wednesday night and arrested a 19-year-old youth in connection with the haul.
The accused, Mohammad Taufiq, was arrested after a police patrol team, acting on a tip-off, raided the premises at 1, N S Road around 1.45 am. Officers found the illegal fireworks packed in four large cardboard boxes.
Police said storing such a large quantity of explosive material in a densely populated commercial area posed a serious fire hazard.
A suo motu case has been registered under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, and the Explosive Substances Act. Investigators are probing the source of the firecrackers and tracing the suspected distribution network.
The seizure comes amid stepped-up enforcement of state guidelines ahead of Kali Puja, Diwali and Chhath Puja, which prohibit illegal firecrackers. Only certified green crackers are permitted during the stipulated two-hour window of 8pm to 10pm on Kali Puja and Diwali.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.