Overview
- A powerful explosion at an illegal firecracker warehouse on Monday, August 31, killed 14 people and damaged nearby homes, police said.
- With two arrests on September 3, police now hold five of the six named accused, including main suspect Naushad, his son Adil and his wife Kahkashan Bano, while one suspect, Shakeel, remains at large.
- Officers say several arrests followed alleged armed encounters in which suspects were shot in the legs; separate FIRs now include attempt-to-murder and Arms Act charges in addition to culpable homicide and explosives offences.
- Raids at linked sites recovered and destroyed large caches of illegal firecrackers and explosive material, including about 1.5 quintals of firecrackers and 62 kg of explosive substance reported from one location, and police offered rewards of ₹25,000 for information on absconders.
- Investigations are continuing with more raids planned, arrested suspects due for court production after treatment, and local authorities warning the crackdown aims to prevent further civilian harm from unlicensed explosive manufacture.