Prayagraj: The son of prime suspect Naushad Ali, who was also wanted in connection with the firecracker unit explosion case and carrying a cash reward of Rs 25,000, was injured and arrested in a police encounter in Kaushambi early Thursday. Later in the evening, Naushad’s wife, Kahkasha, who was also carrying a cash reward of Rs 25,000, was arrested from the Pipri area while allegedly planning to escape.Naushad is already in police custody following an exchange of fire on Tuesday.Naushad’s son Adil’s house in the Manauri area near the Kaushambi-Prayagraj border has already been demolished as it had been constructed on around 60 square metres (72 square yards) of land without approval from the Prayagraj Development Authority (PDA). The three-storey structure had a basement and ground floor that were being used for commercial activities, while the upper two floors were residential.After receiving a tip-off about Adil’s movement near Kamalpur-Barethi Road, a team of Pipri police laid a trap and surrounded Adil near Canal Road. After finding himself trapped in the police cordon, Adil, who had been evading police action for the past 72 hours, opened fire at the police party. The cops too retaliated, leaving him injured in both legs. Cops also seized a country-made pistol of 0.315 bore, along with one live and three used cartridges, Rs 700 in cash and a bike near the spot.After his arrest, Adil confessed that he, along with family members and others, was involved in the illegal storage and manufacture of firecrackers in the Mahmoodpur Manauri area.The death toll in the Kaushambi illegal firecracker factory explosion was recorded at 14, even as cops stepped up efforts to nab arrested factory owner Naushad’s brother Shakeel, who has been absconding since the blast. He is also carrying a Rs 25,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.Police claimed that Naushad had obtained a licence for the manufacture and storage of firecrackers in Nov 2021 for five years, valid till Mar 31, 2026. A joint team of the administration and police inspected the site and detected irregularities at the godown, following which the licence was suspended in Apr 2024.However, Naushad allegedly continued to store firecrackers illegally. In Oct 2024, after learning that the unit was still operating, the police registered a case against him and sent him to jail. After being released on bail, he allegedly resumed the illegal manufacture, sale and storage of firecrackers. So far, nine policemen have been suspended for negligence.Meanwhile, the treatment of three other injured victims was still underway at SRN Hospital in Prayagraj.
