Kolkata, Vikas Kumar Gupta: The original accused who was absconding in the recent blast incident in Duttpukur of North 24 Parganas has been arrested by the Special Task Force (STF) of West Bengal Police. The name of the arrested accused has been stated as Mohammad Nazrul Islam. He was caught from outside Dum Dum International Airport on Thursday night. After presenting him in Barasat court on Friday, instructions have been given to send the accused to STF custody for eight days. It has been learned that after the incident he had fled from Duttpukur area to Chennai.
Used to supply gunpowder used in making banned firecrackers
According to STF sources, they had received the news that the accused Nazrul Islam was returning to Kolkata in a flight from Chennai in a secret manner without any information. After staying here for a few hours, he was again in the mood to flee to another state. After the information, the team of Bengal STF was already stationed around the airport to catch him. The STF team arrested him as soon as he came out of the airport at night. It is alleged that he used to supply the gunpowder used in making banned crackers. His name had come to the fore in questioning the people around. Since then the Bengal STF along with the state police was looking for him. On Thursday night, he finally got success in catching him.
The court sent the accused to STF custody for eight days.
It is to be noted that Nazrul, a businessman in Barasat’s Akrampur, had fled from the area soon after the incident of Dattapukur blast in North 24 Parganas. An attempt was made to send out a large quantity of banned words and explosives in his own trucks. On August 29, the STF stopped five such trucks and arrested two people. During the investigation, many details about Nazrul came in front of the STF. He was arrested as soon as he returned to Calcutta. The accused is being interrogated.
Incidents happened in illegal firecracker factories in the last few years
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October 20, 2014: Fire in a firecracker factory in South 24 Parganas, two killed.
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May 6, 2015: 12 killed in a firecracker factory explosion in Pingla, West Midnapore.
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September 14, 2016: Explosion in firecracker factory in Bagnan, Howrah, old woman dies
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September 20, 2016: Explosion in a firecracker factory in South 24 Parganas, a lot of damage
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October 17, 2016: Explosion in a firecracker factory in Jagannathpur, Nilganj, North 24 Parganas, one dead.
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25 September 2017: Explosion in a firecracker factory in Amdanga, North 24 Parganas, 20 people injured.
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July 14, 2017: One killed, three injured in a blast in Champahati, South 24 Parganas.
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October 07, 2018: One dead, 12 injured in fire at a firecracker factory in Sonapur, South 24 Parganas
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03 January 2020: Fire in illegal firecracker factory in Naihati, North 24 Parganas, five killed
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December 2021: Explosion in a firecracker factory in Nodakhali, South 24 Parganas, killing three people
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December 2022: Explosion in a firecracker factory in Bhupatinagar of East Medinipur, three killed
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May 16, 2023: Explosion in an illegal firecracker factory in East Medinipur’s Egra, 12 people died
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22 May 2023: Explosion in an illegal firecracker factory in BajBuzz, three people died
Many illegal firecracker factories run here
Sources say that in many districts including North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, West Medinipur, Burdwan, many firecracker factories are running illegally at many places. They are making firecrackers illegally by flouting the rules. But the activism of the police is seen only after the incident. Sometimes laborers die due to fire in these factories, and sometimes people lose their lives in explosions. The local people have expressed their displeasure against the police and the ruling party regarding the incident in Dattapukur. People say that an illegal firecracker factory was running at the said spot in Duttpukur with the help of police and local leaders. Workers were brought from other places including Murshidabad and were made to work here.