Scrap yard blast: Police raid godown, seize goods

The police locked the godown located in a thickly populated area on Nalabeedi in Fort Mohalla in the City.

City Police Commissioner Sunil Agarwal said preliminary investigation suggested that air freshners seized in the godown and those that caused the blast in the scrap yard was of the same nature.

“We are verifying the documents and sale bills to ascertain if the air freshners supplied to the scrap yard was from the same godown,” he added.According to sources, the manufacturer of air freshners had tendered a contract to a person to destroy the perfume bottles, in order to prevent the illegal sale of products which are outdated.

However, the police suspect that the same contractor might have lent the work on a sub-contract basis to the scrap yard in Tilak Nagar to destroy perfume bottles.
A survey would be conducted of all illegal scrap yards in the City. Those running the shops without a valid licence will be booked under the law, said the police commissioner.
Earlier in the morning, District in-charge Minister S A Ramdas, who visited the injured in the hospital told reporters that he would ask the State government to hold a State-wide survey of scrap yards.

The police department will be asked to constitute a committee to look into the existence, nature and use of highly inflammable materials in the scrap yard, he said. Victims injured in the blast are recovering, said sources in the hospital.