Hapur factory explosion: Unit owner, operator arrested; death toll 13

TIL Desk/National/Hapur/ Both the owner and the operator of the factory in Hapur where an explosion claimed 13 lives were arrested on Sunday, police said. Wasim, the operator of the unit, had fled after the explosion. He sustained burn injuries on his hands and there were stitches on his head as well, a senior police official said, adding that he received first-aid after the incident and took off.

“He was arrested on Sunday afternoon from the Hapur-Meerut bypass,” Superintendent of Police (SP) Deepak Bhuker told. “We are providing medical treatment to him,” he said. “Police have also arrested Dilshad, the owner of the factory,” the SP said. An FIR has been registered against both of them, the police said.

The explosion took place on Saturday at Ruhi Industries in the Dhaulana area. “So far, 13 people have been killed, while 20 are injured. The injured are undergoing treatment in various hospitals in Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad and Meerut,” Bhuker said. He added that 11 out of the 13 deceased have been identified, and they are from Shahjahanpur (Uttar Pradesh) and Bihar.