Prime accused, two others in Bengal firecracker unit blast case held from Odisha: Police

Kolkata: The West Bengal CID on Thursday arrested the prime accused and two others from Odisha in connection with its probe into a blast at an illegal firecracker factory in Purba Medinipur district where nine people were killed in the explosion.

Bhanu Bagh, the main accused in the case, owns the illegal firecracker unit, a senior officer said.

The owner of the factory was arrested from a nursing home in Odisha where he has been undergoing treatment after he was injured in Tuesday's blast, the CID officer said.

Bagh sustained 70 per cent burn injuries, and was in a "critical condition", he said.

“The prime accused, his son and nephew in the firecracker unit blast case were arrested from Cuttack,” the officer said.

The health condition of the main accused in the case is still "critical", and it is “now impossible to bring him back to West Bengal”, the officer said.

The district police have lodged an FIR in connection with the explosion that took place on Tuesday in which nine people were killed and several others injured.

Teams from the CID, forensic department and bomb squad have also started their investigation into the blast.