Kolkata: Cops of Barasat Police District and State Police Special Task Force (STF) seized a huge quantity of crackers since Monday night in two separate incidents.
According to sources, during the night-long raid that started on Monday, police found several godowns full of crackers behind the box of eggs and sacks of onions in the Mochpool area of Duttapukur.
After seizing the crackers police loaded them in a truck and firefighters sprayed water on it to dispose them. Though it is not clear the exact quantity of crackers that were seized and disposed of, it is suspected that at least two tons of crackers were stored there in an illegal manner.
Local residents reportedly claimed that the illegal business owners used to keep onions and boxes full of eggs in front of the godowns so that nobody could doubt. Behind the boxes of eggs and sacks of onions, the accused persons used to keep the sacks full of crackers.
It was also alleged that residents of the area were threatened by the cracker business owners when the complained.
On a few occasions, the protestors were allegedly assaulted as well. The local residents also alleged that the police were aware of the facts but did not take any action.
This apart, police are searching for the person who used to run a laboratory set up near the explosion spot where several chemicals were being used.
In the place where the laboratory set up was found, the accused person used to mix banned chemicals to manufacture crackers.
However, it is yet to be found out whether the accused persons were involved in making crackers only or other explosive materials. So far police have arrested one person in connection with the explosion.
Meanwhile, STF officials on Tuesday acting on a tip-off, intercepted five 12-wheeler trucks full of crackers from Amdanga and Sajirhat area in North 24-Parganas. Police also arrested two persons in connection with the seizures made. STF officials informed that the seized crackers worth about Rs 1.5 crore have been handed over to the bomb squad of the CID.