Police raid illegal firecracker unit in Virar, seize goods worth Rs 12.98 lakh; three booked

Police on Thursday evening raided an illegal, unauthorised firecracker factory operating in a crowded, densely populated area of Virar East. The action was carried out by a team of Crime Detection Unit-2. Goods worth Rs 12,98,550, including explosive chemicals and raw material, were seized, averting a potentially major disaster.

A firecracker shop named Merchant Enterprises stands next to the G.M. Beverage company on Chandansar Road. Firecrackers were being made in a highly dangerous manner on the two upper floors of the shop's building, without any government licence and in violation of fire safety rules. The crime branch had received information that the finished firecrackers were being sold to the market directly from the ground-floor shop.

Acting on this tip-off, police raided the premises at about 6.45 pm on November 5 and exposed the entire illegal operation.

As many as 17 workers were found handling explosive chemicals in extremely unsafe conditions. Police suspect that counterfeit firecrackers were being made there by misusing the names of well-known brands. Police are also looking into whether minors had been used in this hazardous work.

A case has been registered at Virar police station against three people: Sultan Masumali Merchant (65), Sagar Suresh Pashte (39) and Devendra Ajay Naik.

Under the rules, firecracker factories must be located at a safe distance from human settlements. Had there been the slightest negligence and a spark, a massive explosion could have endangered the lives of hundreds of innocent citizens.

Given the seriousness of the case, Rajan Singh has strongly demanded a thorough investigation by the Mumbai Anti-Terrorism Squad to uncover the hazardous chemicals used in making the firecrackers, the supply of raw material, the financial dealings behind it and the inter-district network.