Police are contemplating preventive detention of the two persons involved in the retailing of fire crackers in Puthanvelikara where a house was damaged in an explosion on Wednesday.
The accused, who were small-scale manufacturers of crackers, had shifted to retail business. The shortage of women workers for making the explosives forced many of the small-time manufacturers to shift to retailing.
The police had earlier unsuccessfully conducted search operations at some households in the Paravur area earlier following information that illegal manufacturing of firecrackers was going on. The police action was following information that some large-scale dealers were engaging womenfolk in manufacturing of the explosives, police said.
Ouseph and Xavier had been into the business for quite some time. The arrested didn’t posses license for stocking and selling the crackers.
The police had earlier registered two cases against Mr. Ouseph for the unauthorised selling of crackers. As the accused had been repeatedly involved in the crime, the police will approach the District Executive Magistrate to book him under the Kerala Anti-social Activities (Prevention) Act. The habitual offenders can be kept in custody for six months by invoking the provisions of the Act. Two cases filed against Mr. Ouseph are pending trial, police said.
Mr. Ouseph, who had been into the firecracker sale used to canvass orders for festivals. He used to procure the crackers from the wholesale dealers and supplied it to the buyers. He had also personally manufactured some crackers, which were stocked in the abandoned house owned by his wife, where the accident took place. Police have also seized some explosives from the house, said P.V. Lijumon, sub inspector of the Puthanvelikara police station.
Besides the house in which the explosives were stocked, a few others in the locality too suffered damage in the accident. The stock that exploded on Tuesday morning is believed to have been procured for the use of some church festivals in the area. The seized explosives, which are kept at the police station, will be destroyed after obtaining the permission from the court, he said.
