One arrested in Ghaziabad’s building collapse incident
According to investigators , an LPG cylinder exploded inside the building, which lead to an impactful explosion as it was stuffed with units of firecrackers
A day after a building collapsed following an explosion in Ghaziabad’s Loni which claimed the lives of three minor children and left four women injured, police on Sunday said that during the investigation it was found that the building was used for manufacturing illegal firecrackers. They added that the unit owner, identified as Mohammad Shariq was arrested on Sunday.
The incident took place on Saturday morning, when a two-storeyed building in Loni’s Roop Nagar came crashing down around 11am following an explosion which was heard by the locals.
The seven people trapped under the debris were rescued after a three-hour long operation.
Police identified the seven as Shaista Parveen (36) and her two daughters Alisha (15) and Alina (14); Noori (18) who is wife of Zafir Mohammad; Geeta Devi (30); Mohammad Imran (15) and Mehwis Khatoon (38).
Two people --Alisha and Imran -- died on Saturday afternoon while the remaining injured were referred to GTB Hospital in Delhi for further treatment.
Alina succumbed to injuries late Saturday evening.
According to investigators , an LPG cylinder exploded inside the building, which lead to an impactful explosion as it was stuffed with units of firecrackers.
Police identified the building owner as Mohammad Imran who had given the building on rent to Mohammad Shariq.
Vivek Chandra Yadav, deputy commissioner of police (rural), said, “Our field unit collected evidence from the incident site, and based on the report submitted by them it was discovered that Shariq was using the building to manufacture illegal firecrackers and an explosion inside led to building collapse.”
“A suo motu FIR was registered against Shariq, who is originally from Bagpat and a resident of Saraswati Vihar near Roop Nagar and he has been arrested on Sunday. We are questioning him at length to find out from where he procured material and also about people to whom he sold the manufactured firecrackers. We are trying to find out more people involved in this and strict legal action will be initiated,” the DCP said.
Police said that Shariq was booked under sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 336 (rash and negligent acts to endanger human life) and 427 (causing damages) of the Indian Penal Code besides levying provisions of the Explosives Act at Loni police station.
“There were a lot of burnt firecrackers found at the site and prima facie appears that Shariq had employed children and unskilled women for the illegal manufacture of firecrackers. He was manufacturing the firecrackers without any license and without any skilled labour or any safety measures,” the suo motu FIR stated.
Meanwhile, DCP Yadav said, “Other relevant sections like for employing children as workers and unskilled women in high-risk job will also be added as part of case investigation,” he said.
