Kanpur Blast: 100 Quintals Of Illegal Firecrackers Seized, Pakistan-Linked Misinformation Probed

Kanpur police have seized approximately 100 quintals of illegal firecrackers worth over Rs 50 lakh and arrested six individuals following an explosion caused by unauthorised storage, which injured eight people in a local market, officials said on Friday.

According to PTI, the blast occurred on Wednesday in the congested Mishri Bazaar area, damaging two scooters and prompting a city-wide crackdown on illegal fireworks. Authorities confirmed that the explosion was not linked to any terrorist activity.

Commissioner of Police Raghubir Lal told PTI that simultaneous raids were conducted in multiple areas, including Moolganj, Fazalganj, Govind Nagar and Naubasta, after receiving intelligence about large-scale storage of fireworks in residential and commercial zones.

In Moolganj, police recovered 14 cartons of firecrackers (1.5 quintals) worth Rs 2 lakh from Ikram’s shop and six cartons (50 kg) valued at Rs 40,000 from Abdul Bilal’s store. Two FIRs have been registered in connection with these recoveries, PTI reported.

A raid in Fazalganj led by Assistant Commissioner of Police IP Singh uncovered nearly 60–65 quintals of firecrackers valued at Rs 15 lakh in a warehouse. The property, owned by Govind Nagar resident Himanshu alias Kaku and rented to Raja Paswan three years ago, is currently unoccupied, with both individuals absconding.

In Naubasta, police seized five quintals of fireworks worth Rs 18 lakh from Madhuban Lawn in Yashoda Nagar. Deputy CP Deependra Nath Chaudhary said the material was stored illegally in a residential area and the owners, Mahendra Singh Yadav and manager Hariom Awasthi, could not produce a legal licence.

In Govind Nagar, authorities recovered 9.35 quintals (30 cartons) of firecrackers worth Rs 9 lakh from a factory, with legal proceedings underway following the registration of an FIR, PTI reported.

Overall, five FIRs have been filed, six arrests made, and 26 individuals detained for questioning, including 18 from Moolganj alone.

The investigation has also expanded to include online misinformation after an X account displaying Pakistan flags posted false messages claiming that “eight army personnel were killed near Markaz Masjid in Kanpur.” Police flagged the posts as attempts to spread panic. Commissioner Lal said authorities are pursuing two parallel investigations: one into the explosion and another into the coordinated online misinformation campaign.

The raids have revealed an extensive network of illegal firecracker storage across Kanpur, highlighting significant safety risks in densely populated areas.

(With inputs from PTI)