Day after 8 die in Jaipur firecracker unit blast, cops seal another illegal factory

JAIPUR: A day after eight people were killed in a blaze triggered by a blast at an alleged illegal firecracker godown in Khoh Nagoriyan area here, police on Wednesday said they have unearthed another illegal firecracker factory in the locality.

According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) Ranjeeta Sharma, police conducted a survey of the area following Tuesday's blast and found another illegal firecracker factory operating there.

"The unit was sealed. Material found there has also been confiscated," she said.

An FIR has been registered in connection with Tuesday's incident, in which eight people died in a fire that broke out after a blast at a rented house allegedly used for storing firecrackers.

Sharma said the unit was operating in the densely populated Ayesha Nagar Talai Colony in Khoh Nagoriyan.

She said police are searching for the owner of the house and the person who took the premises on rent.

Police teams have been sent to Delhi and Farrukhabad in Uttar Pradesh in search of the person allegedly operating the illegal unit, she said, while refusing to disclose his identity.

The DCP said the bodies of the deceased were handed over to their family members after post-mortem. In some cases, DNA testing was conducted to establish identities as the bodies were charred beyond recognition.

Residents have alleged that the illegal unit was functioning barely a kilometre away from the local police station.

Responding to the allegations, Sharma said that an internal inquiry has been initiated and action would be taken against police personnel if found guilty of negligence.

She said a detailed survey is being carried out in the area to identify illegal factories and strict legal action would be taken against those found operating such units.