Ahead of Diwali, over 1,700 kg of firecrackers seized in police raids

Delhi Police seized over 1,700 kg of banned firecrackers and arrested seven men in multiple operations across the national capital ahead of Diwali this month, an official said on Sunday.

- OUR CORRESPONDENT

The crackdown conducted by the crime branch of the Delhi police in Dwarka, Rohini, Uttam Nagar, Shastri Nagar, Mukundpur and Shahdara, Deputy Commissioner of Police Pankaj Kumar said.

The operations were carried out in line with the recent Supreme Court's directions to curb the storage and sale of firecrackers to tackle air pollution and ensure public safety, he said. Delhi's air quality worsens from October onwards and last all through the winter.

The DCP said six men were arrested in the raids and 1,645 kg of fireworks and a pickup truck were impounded.

Another raid was carried out in northeast Delhi's Mandoli, where 106 kg of banned firecrackers were recovered from a grocery shop owner, taking the seized illegal firecrackers to 1,751 kg.