NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police has arrested three members of a family for allegedly stocking and repackaging illegal firecrackers for sale ahead of the festive season. Over 3,500 kg of illegal firecrackers were seized in west Delhi’s Rajouri Garden, officials said on Saturday.
The accused have been identified as Sushil Kakkar (53), his wife, Upasana Kakkar (50), and their son, Shivam Kakkar (28), all residents of Vishal Enclave in Rajouri Garden.
“The family was misusing the residential house as a godown, storing crackers in every nook and corner, including the kitchen. They were caught red-handed while repacking crackers for supply. The crackers were procured from Meerut, Gurugram, and Ghaziabad for high-profit sale in Delhi despite the Supreme Court ban,” a police official said.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Darade Sharad Bhaskar said, “With the upcoming festive season, it was instructed to check violations of the firecracker ban and trace bulk suppliers and storage points. After receiving a tip-off in the early hours of Thursday, a raid was conducted.
The team identified and raided a residential premise at Vishal Enclave, Rajouri Garden, where a huge quantity of firecrackers was found stored all around the house. The family members were caught while repacking the crackers into smaller consignments for sale.”
Police said the family runs a snacks and eatables shop in Moti Nagar but had been illegally procuring firecrackers from Meerut, Gurugram, and Ghaziabad for profiteering.
Earlier, on September 16, in a major crackdown against illegal firecracker stocking, police recovered over 200 kg of firecrackers from the Badarpur area and arrested one Dharamvir Singh, a resident of Badarpur. The recovery was made from the rooftop room of a building in Moladband. Singh revealed that he had procured the consignment from Palwal in Haryana two days earlier, intending to sell it during the festive season. He failed to produce any valid license or authorization for storage or sale.
Last December, the Delhi government imposed a “perpetual ban” on the manufacture, use, and sale of firecrackers, including through online platforms, in the national capital.
‘Misusing residential house as godown’
“The family was misusing the residential house as a godown, storing crackers. They were caught red-handed while repacking crackers for supply. The crackers were procured from Meerut, Gurugram, and Ghaziabad for high-profit sale in Delhi despite the Supreme Court ban,”a police official said.