Sonipat: A joint team of the chief minister’s flying squad and fire department busted an alleged illegal firecracker-making unit operating from a rented room in a residential building in Roht village, recovering hundreds of ready-made ‘sutli’ and ‘gola’ bombs and material allegedly used to manufacture firecrackers.Pawan Kumar, a native of Uttar Pradesh, was arrested from the first-floor room and booked under the Explosives Act by Sonipat Sadar police. Inspector Rohtash Ahlawat said Pawan had rented the room from Satish, a Roht resident.The team found equipment and material allegedly used to prepare firecrackers and fill them with explosive substances. Pawan could not produce licences or other documents permitting manufacture or storage of firecrackers or explosive material, police said.A substance stored in a plastic sheet weighed 3.7kg and was identified as potassium chloride. Two 150gm samples were sealed for examination, while the remaining 3.5kg was secured as evidence. Newspaper rolls and other material were also seized.The raid raised fire-safety concerns as the alleged manufacturing was being carried out inside a residential area without firefighting equipment or other apparent safety arrangements.The case comes nearly two years after an explosion at an alleged illegal firecracker unit operating from a house in Rithau village, Kharkhoda, on Sept 28, 2024. A child and two women were killed and several others injured in that blast.Police said Pawan was living alone in the rented room and had no other person staying with him. Investigators have so far found no evidence of anyone else being directly involved in the alleged manufacturing activity.
