Bhiwadi Illegal Firecracker Blast: Factory Owner, Manager Arrested as Police Seal Multiple Units

Overview

• Hemant Kumar Sharma and his manager Abhinandan were arrested and remanded to four days of police custody following Monday’s explosion that killed seven workers.
• Investigators sealed the blast site and later shut a second illegal unit and a nearby warehouse about 500 meters away, recovering large quantities of finished crackers, raw material, and machinery.
• Police say the seized equipment shows large-scale illegal manufacturing, with goods suspected to be supplied to markets in Rajasthan, Haryana, and the Delhi-NCR region.
• Plot owner Rajendra Kumar has not been taken into custody; police raided his Ghaziabad residence and received a written assurance he would appear, with further action planned if he does not.
• An FIR names four people, including contractor Ajit who died in the blast, and officials noted the arrested owner is the brother of a head constable posted with Bhiwadi Police’s DST team.