Kolkata: The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of West Bengal police probing the May 16 blast at an illegal fire-cracker unit at Egra in East Midnapore district on Wednesday arrested the widow of the deceased owner of the factory.
The explosion on May 16 had claimed 12 lives, including the owner of the illegal unit, Krishnapada Bag.
Krishnapada Bag a.k.a. Bhanu, who was injured in the blast, later died at a private nursing home in Cuttack in Odisha. On Wednesday, the CID arrested Bhanu’s wife Geeta Bag.
Earlier, the CID had arrested Bhanu’s son Prithvijit Bag and nephew Biswajit Bag from Odisha in connection with the case.
Police sources said that after the blast, Geeta Bag had fled to her maternal home in Odisha. On being tipped off by its sources, the CID conducted a raid on Wednesday and arrested her from there.
“Geeta Bag was also injured in the blast. However, her injuries were not that serious. She is a co-accused in the case,” a state police officer said.
Although the initial police investigation has suggested that the explosion was probably caused by the raw materials stocked at the illegal fire-cracker unit, the opposition parties have claimed that the impact of the explosion proves that not fire-crackers, but crude bombs were being manufactured there.
(IANS)
