Two persons, including Amara Venkata Ramanaiah Setti, the owner of the illegal fireworks unit, were arrested on Monday on the charges of unauthorised manufacture of crackers and also for negligence leading to the death of several workers in the explosion on the eve of New Year Day in Nellore city.
A case was registered in the Three Town police station under Sections 304, 307, 286 and 220/16 of IPC for causing death, committing an act amounting to attempt to murder, negligent handling of explosives and for illegal confinement respectively.
The accused were also charged under the 9(b) Explosives Act 1884 for violating rules governing the use and manufacture of explosive substances.
Additional SP B. Sarath Babu and Nellore Town DSP G. Venkataramudu said Ramanaiah Setti, 44, was a fireworks trader who was actually running the Porlukatta fireworks unit without taking permission.
He was running the same under the name of his long-time worker Ponnur Bhasker, 40, who is also arrested now.
The accused were at the spot when the explosion took place on December 31. They tried to rescue some workers but their efforts went in vain.
As people from surrounding localities started gathering there on hearing deafening sound, the accused fled. The police authorities took a serious view of the case as the persons behind this unauthorised ill-fated unit shifted and continued their activities in the present site at Porlukatta after they were warned against making fireworks at a different location in the same area previously.
Death toll rises to six
Meanwhile, the death toll in the explosion rose to six with one injured worker Chouturu Chenchu Reddy alias Chandu, 15, succumbing to burns at the Narayana hospital. Another person Gurukula Ramesh, 17, was declared as ‘suspected deceased’. Chenchu Reddy was among the 11 victims who sustained more than 80 per cent burns. He was also a ‘challa yanadi’ tribal resident of a slum in Porlukatta area.
With regard to Gurukula Ramesh, the officials first reported him as missing based on the information provided by his relatives.
But the presence of some unidentified body parts and blood stains at the blast site led to the suspicion that Ramesh would have come under direct impact of the explosion. The officials sent samples of the body parts for DNA tests to the forensic laboratory. A confirmation in case of this missing person’s death would be arrived at only after the forensic reports. He used to reside in Sundarayyanagar locality in the same area.
The condition of 10 persons, who sustained severe burns, is stated to be serious with the doctors supervising them round-the-clock.
