Police have arrested three partners who ran the illegal firecracker manufacturing unit in Ahmedabad's Ramol area, where a powerful blast and fire killed nine people and injured six others on Saturday, a senior officer said.
The accused have been identified as Ramilaben Dodiya, her son Mehul Dodiya and their business partner Sadiq Saiyed.
According to Ahmedabad Police Commissioner Anupam Singh Gahlaut, the unit's licence had expired in March this year and was not renewed. Authorities had ordered it to shut down, and police conducted periodic inspections to ensure compliance. However, the accused allegedly resumed operations around 20 days ago by bringing labourers from Dahod while police personnel were deployed for security during the recent Rath Yatra.
Police are also investigating the role of the landowner who leased the property and the financiers behind the illegal operation.
The explosion occurred in a temporary tin shed located in a field behind the Rapid Action Force (RAF) camp on Ramol-Gatrad Road, where firecrackers were allegedly being manufactured illegally. Personnel from the RAF alerted authorities immediately, following which police, fire brigade teams and 108 ambulance services rushed to the spot.
A total of 15 people were affected in the incident, including the nine who died and six who are undergoing treatment at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital. Most of the deceased labourers were from Sanjeli taluka in Dahod district, while others hailed from Kapadvanj, Umreth and Ramol.
Police completed the postmortem examinations and handed over the bodies to their families after transporting them to their native places under police escort, Gahlaut said.
The commissioner said Mehul Dodiya and Ramilaben Dodiya were present at the factory when the blast occurred. Mehul sustained minor injuries, while Ramilaben suffered ruptured eardrums. Mehul allegedly fled the scene after the explosion and sent another person back to take his injured mother to hospital. He was later arrested from the Sabarmati area, while Ramilaben and Saiyed were apprehended shortly after the incident.
An FIR has been registered against the three accused under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including Sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 287 (negligent or rash conduct with fire or combustible materials), along with provisions of the Explosive Substances Act.
Gahlaut said Ramilaben had operated a similar firecracker unit at the same location in 2014, when a fire claimed one life. She was arrested in that case and the licences were subsequently cancelled. A fresh licence was later issued in Mehul Dodiya's name in 2020, but it expired on March 4 this year and was not renewed.
Police suspect the accused restarted the unit to manufacture firecrackers for the upcoming Ganesh festival despite the closure order.
(With PTI inputs)
