Nagpur: Lookout notices have been issued against 10 on-the-run suspects, including two managing directors, in connection with the devastating blast at the explosives manufacturing unit in Raulgaon village, Katol taluka in Nagpur district, which claimed 19 lives and left 24 others injured on Sunday.Nagpur rural police sealed the unit for investigation with Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) and Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health (DISH) ordering suspension of operations till further orders. The blast had triggered a massive fire that engulfed the premises. Authorities have so far arrested 11 individuals, all of whom have been remanded to six-day police custody. The lookout notices against the 10 fugitives will prevent them from fleeing the country, said a senior police official.Five specialised teams are actively pursuing the case which includes three teams supporting SDPO Santosh Gaikwad of Kanhan division, who is heading the investigation. One team is stationed in neighbouring Chhattisgarh to chase cross-border leads, and another is combing various districts of Maharashtra.Police are meticulously analysing CCTV footage from the factory site to reconstruct the sequence of events and determine each worker’s specific role — handling, storing, packing or transporting explosives.The case has been registered under sections for culpable homicide not amounting to murder, with the possibility of stricter punishments if evidence of deliberate negligence or intent emerges.Forensic teams from PESO and DISH are examining blast residues, chemical traces, storage violations, wiring, and other physical evidence to establish how the blast was triggered and flames broke out in such a devastating manner.The last rites of all 19 victims, primarily women workers, were completed with families receiving support and compensation from the district administration. The 23 injured continue to receive treatment, several in critical condition. The investigation remains ongoing as police intensify efforts to apprehend the remaining suspects and bring the entire chain of responsibility to justice.
