Rourkela: Two persons were arrested and a huge quantity of firecrackers valued at over Rs 20 lakh seized during raids by police on illegal godowns in Odisha’s Rourkela city on Sunday.
According to sources, police seized firecrackers of over 200 different varieties following raids on two illegal cracker godowns at a market near Plant Site police station.
While the seized firecrackers were estimated to be worth over Rs 20 lakh, the two arrested persons have been identified as Vikash Agarwal and Ajay Kumar Gupta.
The operation was carried out by the personnel of the Plant Site Police Station following a tip-off. They raided the illegal godowns and seized the firecrackers stocked illegally.
After getting information about the illegal hoarding of firecrackers at two godowns, the police formed two teams and carried out the raids. Two persons were arrested as they failed to present valid licences, said a senior police official.
Two separate cases have been registered and further investigation is in progress. The seized firecrackers will be disposed of by the bomb disposal squad, police added.