500 kilograms of banned firecrackers seized from Faridabad

Police said the driver, a resident of NIT in Faridabad, was allegedly involved in the purchase and transport of banned firecrackers

Updated on: Oct 24, 2023, 07:18:02 IST

By Leena Dhankhar

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Faridabad police on Sunday night arrested a truck driver ferrying 500 kilograms of banned firecrackers and seized the contraband that he allegedly bought from Palwal for ₹1.5 lakh and planned to sell for ₹3 lakh in the retail market ahead of Diwali, said senior police officers.

Police said the driver, identified as Mukesh Thukral, a resident of NIT in Faridabad, was allegedly involved in the purchase and transport of banned firecrackers from Palwal to Faridabad.

Hemendra Kumar Meena, deputy commissioner of police (crime), said during questioning, the suspect revealed that the firecrackers were smuggled in from Tamil Nadu, Saran in Bihar, and Muzzafarnagar and Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh.

“He bought firecrackers through a dealer in Palwal and he planned to sell them in retail in Faridabad to earn a profit. There are high margins on firecrackers, because the ban has impacted supply while the demand is still high,” he said.

Kumar said they received a tip-off that contraband crackers were being transported, and they formed a team that conducted a search and seized the truck near the Ballabhgarh bus stand. “The driver had placed plastic sacks containing firecrackers in the truck. The teams checked and seized 498 kilograms of banned firecrackers,” he said.

Rakesh Kumar Arya, Faridabad commissioner of police, said they have formed teams and placed barricades at all borders connecting Delhi, Nuh and Rajasthan to check the movement of banned firecrackers.

Illegal manufacturing units are still making traditional crackers as the cost of chemicals is very low compared to green crackers. The price of banned crackers is less and people prefer to buy them and the demand is still high in rural areas, said police.

On October 10, an explosion at a makeshift cracker factory in Nuh led to a 24-year-old man sustaining severe burn injuries.

Investigators said the explosion occurred at a house constructed on the fields of village Dudoli. They said a large quantity of firecrackers, gunpowder, and chemicals were illegally stored inside the house when the explosion occurred.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Leena Dhankhar
Leena Dhankhar is Senior Editor and Bureau Chief, Gurugram, at Hindustan Times, where she has spent over 17 years chronicling the transformation of one of India's fastest-growing urban regions. From starting her career as a crime reporter to leading the Gurugram bureau, her journalism has been defined by investigative reporting, in-depth storytelling and an unwavering focus on public interest. Over nearly two decades, she has reported extensively across crime, politics, civic governance, elections, real estate, environment, courts, sports, education and entertainment, covering Gurugram, Faridabad, Nuh and Palwal. Her reporting has exposed several major scams and systemic failures, including insurance frauds, waste management irregularities, illegal arms manufacturing units in Nuh, illegal mining in the Aravallis, organised crime networks and governance lapses affecting millions of residents. Known for her investigative work and exclusive stories, Leena has reported on high-impact national issues, including the Nicaragua charter flight carrying Indian migrants that was turned back amid allegations of human trafficking, exposing the growing network of illegal immigration rackets. Her work has also focused on gang wars, prison administration, juvenile crime, women and child protection systems, the functioning of the Juvenile Justice Board and Child Welfare Committee, and environmental challenges such as pollution, waterlogging and deteriorating civic infrastructure. Beyond hard news, Leena has extensively documented Haryana's rich heritage, forests and wildlife, bringing attention to the state's historical landmarks, biodiversity, conservation efforts and ecological challenges through immersive reportage and feature writing. Her journalism has consistently gone beyond breaking news. She has documented Gurugram's rapid urbanisation through long-form narratives and enterprise reporting on issues ranging from pothole-ridden roads, flooding and waste management to the changing social fabric of India's Millennium City. She also writes widely read feature columns, including The Outsider, Changemaker, and Concern for Gurugram, profiling people, places and ideas shaping the city's identity. Leena is the author of Gurugram School Murder, published by Juggernaut Books, a deeply reported account of one of India's most high-profile school murder investigations. She is currently working on her second book, an investigative work exploring some of India's most significant scams and fraud investigations. Beyond print journalism, she has expanded her storytelling through public speaking and digital media. She is a TEDx speaker and has produced podcasts exploring Gurugram's transformation, civic challenges and untold stories. Her work reflects a commitment to narrative journalism that combines rigorous reporting with compelling storytelling. A law graduate with an MBA in Human Resources, Leena brings a multidisciplinary perspective to her reporting, particularly on governance, public policy and legal affairs. She has travelled extensively across India to pursue investigative assignments, often reporting from remote locations and conflict-prone areas in search of stories that matter.Read More