In a major crackdown ahead of Diwali, Ghaziabad police sealed two warehouses in the Bhojpur area and arrested three men, including the godown owner, for allegedly stocking and selling illegal firecrackers worth over Rs 6.25 crore, officers said on Saturday. The case came to light after Ghaziabad police received information a few days ago that a group of men had stored firecrackers in a godown in the Bhojpur area, officers said. Assistant Commissioner of Police (Modinagar), Amit Saxena, said, “Acting on the directions of the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Modinagar), a team from Bhojpur police station raided a godown—Golden Trading Agency—in Bhojpur village on Friday.” “During the raid, officers reportedly discovered around 3.44 lakh kilograms of banned firecrackers stored inside two large godowns,” Saxena added. He said the police sealed both godowns on the spot and arrested three individuals, including the agency owner, identified as Saurabh Dhangal, a resident of New Alok, Hapur. “The two other accused arrested were identified as Bhagirath (41), a resident of Shlok Nagar Colony, Hapur, and Amit Kumar (36), a resident of Haridwari Nagar, Modinagar,” the ACP said. On the raids, ACP Saxena said, “We did not expect what we saw… When we reached there, we found two godowns adjacent to each other. Two workers were also present at the spot. The firecrackers, packed in cartons, were stacked to the ceilings of the rooms, leaving only a narrow space to walk. There were a total of six rooms in both godowns, and each room contained 50 to 60 cartons of firecrackers. One would need three trucks to dispose of the entire stock.” According to the police, the seized stock was being stored and sold illegally despite a district-wide ban on the manufacture, sale, and storage of firecrackers under Section 163 of the BNSS (Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita). The prohibition has been in force across the Ghaziabad Commissionerate area from August 26 to October 24, 2025, as per an earlier order issued by the police on August 25. Police said notices had already been served to Dhangal, warning him against storing or trading in firecrackers during the restricted period. Despite this, the agency allegedly continued operations in violation of the directive, officers said.
