TIRUCHY: Kumbakonam police on Monday seized as much as 557 kgs of crackers worth Rs 20 lakh hoarded in a fertiliser godown and are searching for two persons who were involved in the offence.

The Nachiyar Koil police in Kumbakonam received an information that a huge quantity of crackers was being stocked illegally at a fertiliser godown owned by one Ramesh Kumar (45) of Nagarasampatti near Kumbakonam.

Inspector Rekha Rani along with the tahsildar Venkaresan went to the house of Ramesh Kumar and found that the godown was locked.

When the officials asked the family members of Ramesh Kumar to open the godown, they refused to do so and argued to say that only fertilisers were stocked.

However, the officials opened the godown by force and were shocked to see bundles of crackers and the base materials for crackers. They have covered the bundles with fertiliser bags to confuse the officials. Subsequently, the officials seized 557 kgs of crackers including country made crackers and as much as 204 bags of base materials for manufacturing crackers together worth Rs 20 lakh.

The police registered a case against Ramesh Kumar and his associate Saravanan (45) and are searching for the duo.