New Delhi [India], October 5 (ANI): Ahead of Diwali, the Delhi Crime Branch has launched a campaign to combat banned firecrackers, resulting in the seizure of 1,645 kg of illegal firecrackers across the National Capital.

According to police officials, the Crime Branch has conducted a series of ongoing raids in various areas of Delhi. In compliance with the directives of the Supreme Court of India, the Crime Branch has been actively engaged in operations to detect and prevent the illegal storage and sale of these firecrackers in the capital.

As part of the Delhi Police's efforts to combat the circulation of banned firecrackers, the WR-II, Rajouri Garden team uncovered a stockpile of over 916 kg of banned firecrackers during multiple raids conducted in the Dwarka, Rohini, and Uttam Nagar areas. In Dwarka's Goyla Dairy, a grocery shop was raided, leading to the arrest of its owner, Akash Gupta. During the search, authorities recovered 13 large cartons and one sack filled with assorted banned firecrackers from the second floor of his residence.

Following the arrest, an FIR was registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Explosives Act.

Furthermore, the Crime Branch team also apprehended another suspect, Rahul Sagar, in Delhi. From his residence, they recovered 412 kg of illegal firecrackers. The suspect has previously been involved in four criminal cases under various sections.

In another operation, acting on a tip-off, a police team conducted a raid in Village Mukundpur, under the jurisdiction of PS Bhalswa Dairy, and arrested the accused, Somanath alias Sonu, on October 4.

During the raid, 311 kg of banned firecrackers were recovered from the first floor of his rented premises. These firecrackers were concealed under the guise of an LED bulb manufacturing unit and included products from 24 different brands.

The accused disclosed that he had purchased the firecrackers for Rs two lakh from Uttar Pradesh and intended to sell them in Delhi for approximately Rs 4 lakh.

On the same day, the police received information about the sale of banned firecrackers in Ashok Nagar Market. Following this lead, a raid was conducted in Shahdara, resulting in the arrest of Vishal Sharma. A total of 106 kg of banned firecrackers were seized from his possession. An FIR was registered under Sections 223/288 BNS at Jyoti Nagar police station.

Earlier, Delhi Police seized 693 kilograms of illegal firecrackers of 42 different brands and apprehended one culprit.

During the operation, the police recovered illegal firecrackers from the ground floor of the premises, which were being misused under the cover of an ice cream manufacturing unit.

This illegal stock was stored under highly unsafe conditions in a residential area, posing a serious risk to public safety, according to the police. (ANI)