Sixth, last accused in UP illegal cracker factory blast arrested after encounter

Final Suspect in Deadly Kaushambi Fireworks Explosion Captured After Gunfight

Indiadailyupdate.com – The long hunt for the last remaining suspect in one of Uttar Pradesh’s most devastating industrial disasters came to a close on Friday evening, when police in Kaushambi district cornered and arrested Shakil following a brief exchange of gunfire. His capture brings the total number of accused taken into custody to six, completing the roster of individuals named in connection with the August 31 explosion at an unlicensed fireworks manufacturing unit that claimed fourteen lives.

The arrest unfolded around 9 pm when a combined squad drawn from the Manjhanpur police station and the state’s Special Operations Group acted on intelligence indicating that Shakil was preparing to slip out of the locality. Officers intercepted him while he was riding a motorcycle. According to police accounts, Shakil opened fire upon being brought to a halt. In the ensuing return of fire, he was struck by a bullet in his left leg. A domestically manufactured pistol, a single live cartridge, and the motorcycle itself were seized from his person at the scene.

Shakil was rushed to the district hospital for medical attention. Police confirmed that all legal procedures following his detention are now in motion, closing what had been a weeks-long manhunt since the blast.

Demolition of Property Follows Arrest

In a parallel action carried out the same evening, the district administration — with police present — ordered the demolition of Shakil’s residence in Mahmoodpur village. Bulldozers were deployed to raze the structure, a measure consistent with the broader enforcement response that followed the disaster.

Earlier in the week, the administration had already used heavy machinery to tear down Naushad’s three-storey dwelling and a storage godown attached to his fireworks operation in Mahmoodpur. A second godown linked to Naushad, located in the Muratganj market area, was likewise brought down. These demolitions were carried out under the district’s powers to remove structures deemed unsafe or connected with unauthorised industrial activity.

Legal Framework and Charges

A First Information Report was lodged against all six individuals, including the factory owner and operator Naushad, invoking provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita alongside the Explosives Act. The charges reflect both the fatal outcome and the absence of statutory licensing for the fireworks unit.

Three victims who sustained serious injuries in the blast were still receiving treatment at SRN Hospital in Prayagraj as of the latest police update, underscoring that the human toll of the disaster extends well beyond the fourteen confirmed deaths.

Timeline of Earlier Arrests

The five accused who preceded Shakil in custody were apprehended over a compressed period of days following the explosion:

Shabana and her daughter Saina — Shakil’s wife and daughter — were taken into custody on the very day of the blast. Naushad, the factory owner, was arrested on September 1 after a separate encounter in the Charwa police station area; he sustained a gunshot wound to his leg during that confrontation. Two days later, on September 3, his son Adil was captured following an encounter in which he received gunshot wounds to both legs. Kahkashan Bano, Naushad’s wife, was picked up from her home in Mahmudpur on that same September 3 date.

Only Shakil had remained at large until Friday’s operation, making his arrest the final chapter in the immediate enforcement phase of the case.

Context: An Unlicensed Industry in a High-Risk Zone

The Kaushambi blast occurred in a region of Uttar Pradesh where small-scale fireworks manufacturing has long operated in a grey zone between informal cottage production and formal industrial regulation. The absence of a valid licence for the unit at Mahmoodpur meant that safety protocols, storage limits, and worker protections mandated under the Explosives Act were not in force. The scale of the loss — fourteen fatalities in a single event — has intensified scrutiny of how many similar unregistered units continue to operate across the state’s northern districts, particularly in the run-up to festival seasons when demand for fireworks surges.

Police and administration officials have signalled that the demolitions and arrests are part of a broader corrective sweep. The enhancement of the monetary reward for Shakil’s capture, announced by Prayagraj Range Inspector General of Police Ajay Mishra, was cited by Kaushambi Superintendent of Police Satyanarayan Prajapat as a factor that accelerated the final operation.

“The reward was enhanced by Prayagraj Range Inspector General of Police Ajay Mishra,” Kaushambi Superintendent of Police Satyanarayan Prajapat said.

With all six accused now before the courts, the investigation’s next phase will centre on establishing individual culpability, examining whether supervisory or regulatory lapses contributed to the conditions that allowed the blast to occur, and determining the extent of compensation owed to the families of the fourteen deceased and the survivors still in hospital care.