Huge cache of explosives seized from Odisha firecracker trader’s second house
JAGATSINGHPUR: Police on Sunday seized huge amount of explosive materials from the property of firecracker trader Susil Das whose son and daughter-in-law were killed after the roof of their house collapsed due to a blast two days back.
Jagatsinghpur IIC Pravash Kumar Sahoo said police along with local tehsildar and magistrate Tareni Ranjan Ray carried out raids at three properties including the second house of Susil in the village. A tractor-load of explosives and firecracker-making materials were seized from the property owned by Susil. The seized materials included gunpowder, glass dust, threads, bamboo sticks and chemicals.
Meanwhile, forensic experts, who had examined the residence of Susil and confirmed that the explosion was caused by firecrackers, submitted their findings to the police. Sahoo said basing on the report, police registered a case under various sections of the Explosives Act and other relevant laws. Investigation is underway and no arrests have been made so far. Postmortem was also conducted on the two persons who were killed in the explosion, he added.
On Friday night, Susil’s son Rajesh was allegedly making firecrackers at home when one of the crackers exploded, causing the roof of the house to collapse. Rajesh and four members of his family were trapped under the debris. Later, police and fire service personnel retrieved the bodies of Rajesh and his wife.
Rajesh’s brother Paresh and his wife, who suffered critical injuries in the mishap are currently undergoing treatment at SCB Medical College and Hospital, Cuttack. Villagers claim Susil is involved in illegal manufacturing of firecrackers.
