The Anti-Auto Theft Squad (AATS) of Delhi Police’s North-East District has apprehended a supplier of banned firecrackers and recovered 57.8 kg of the prohibited material from his possession, police said on Thursday.

The accused, identified as Vishal (35), a resident of Ashok Nagar in Delhi, was apprehended on October 21 following a targeted operation to curb the illegal supply of banned firecrackers in the district.

According to the police, the operation was conducted on the directions of senior officers by an AATS team led by Inspector Deepak Pandey, in-charge of AATS, North-East District. Acting on secret information, the team laid a trap in the Ashok Nagar area and apprehended the accused while he was carrying multiple sacks containing banned firecrackers weighing 57.8 kg.

Following the recovery, a case was registered under FIR No. 466/26, dated October 21, at Jyoti Nagar police station under Section 223(b) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 9B of the Explosives Act. An investigation into the matter has been initiated.

Police said the accused had previously been involved in three criminal cases registered under Sections 188 and 286 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Sections 223(A) and 288 of the BNS, and Sections 115(2), 126(2) and 3(5) of the BNS.

In a separate incident earlier this month, a joint team of the Delhi Police’s Anti-Auto Theft Squad and Harsh Vihar police station uncovered an illegal storage facility for firecrackers in Mandoli village and recovered 567.30 kg of firecrackers and related material. One person was apprehended in connection with the case, police said on Wednesday.

According to the police, the incident came to light on October 12 when a police team conducting area patrol received information about firecrackers being stored at a premises in Mandoli. The information was immediately shared with Harsh Vihar police station, following which a team reached the location.

At the premises, located on the first floor of a house in Gali No. 12, near Government Senior Secondary School in Mandoli, police found a large quantity of firecrackers and materials used in their manufacture stored in cartons and sacks.

The recovered material was inspected, weighed, sampled and seized following the prescribed procedure.

An FIR (No. 315/2026) was subsequently registered at Harsh Vihar police station under Section 288 of the BNS and Section 9B of the Explosives Act, 1884.

The death of 37-year-old Biru Singh Bhadauria in the Hanumant Vihar police station area of Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur has triggered a major controversy, as his family rejected the police account that he died in a road accident and alleged instead that he was murdered.

On Thursday, the family staged a protest by placing his body on the highway leading towards Hamirpur, demanding the immediate arrest of those allegedly responsible for his death.

The case has taken a fresh turn after an eyewitness, identified as Rahul, questioned the police version of events and claimed that Biru’s death was not accidental but the result of a deliberate act.

According to the victim’s family, Biru Singh Bhadauria worked as a salesman for a food products company. They alleged that he had a dispute a few days earlier with Rajveer and Mewalal, both residents of Khadepur Nai Basti, following which tensions had reportedly continued between the two sides.

The family claimed that on Tuesday night, Biru was returning home after visiting a Dussehra fair when Mewalal arrived at the spot in a car.

According to their account, three other men, including Rajveer, were also travelling in the vehicle. The group allegedly stopped Biru and assaulted him. When he attempted to escape, they hit him with the car. The family further alleged that the men then placed him on the roof of the vehicle and drove away.

Speaking to Media, the victim’s wife rejected the suggestion that her husband had died in an accident, and said, “I am saying that it was not an accident. It was murder, committed by five people. They are saying it was an accident, but it was not an accident; it was murder committed by five people.”

Eyewitness Rahul has also challenged the police’s account, alleging that the circumstances surrounding the incident point towards a deliberate act rather than a routine road accident. He claimed to have personally seen the men place Biru on the roof of the car before driving away.

“The police are misrepresenting the sequence of events. This was not a routine road accident, but a case of murder. I have personally witnessed individuals placing the man on the roof of the car and driving away,” Rahul said.

He further alleged that Biru’s hands had become trapped in the openings of the car’s front windows as the vehicle moved forward.

“Both of the man’s hands were trapped inside the car’s front window openings. The vehicle was driven forward, and the man was subsequently thrown off before the accused fled the scene,” Rahul added.

However, the allegations made by the family and the eyewitness remain to be established, and their veracity can only be determined through a thorough investigation by the police.

Meanwhile, a video circulating on social media purportedly shows a car travelling at high speed. It is alleged that Rahul was pursuing the vehicle on a motorcycle at the time of the incident.

CCTV footage related to the case has also emerged, with the family claiming that the entire sequence of events was captured by more than 12 surveillance cameras installed in the area.

The family has alleged that despite the availability of potential evidence, the police initially registered the case as a death caused by an “unknown vehicle”, treating it as a hit-and-run incident.

They have expressed dissatisfaction with the initial handling of the matter and are demanding that the case be investigated from the perspective of murder, with strict legal action taken against all those found responsible.

Following the incident, Biru was taken to a hospital, where doctors declared him dead at around 3 p.m. on Wednesday. His death subsequently led to demands from the family for a thorough investigation and action against the people they accuse of being involved.

The family alleged that the police were not taking effective action, prompting them to block the highway with Biru’s body in protest. During the demonstration, they remained firm on their demand for the immediate arrest of the accused and strict action, refusing to withdraw until their concerns were addressed.

The highway blockade was eventually lifted after police personnel intervened and assured the family that appropriate action would be taken. Following the assurance, the family removed the body from the road, allowing traffic movement to resume.

At present, both the victim’s family and eyewitness Rahul maintain that Biru’s death was the result of murder rather than a road accident.

An Indian national was among two people killed, while two other Indian nationals were injured, in an attack on King Fahd International Airport in Saudi Arabia’s Dammam on Wednesday, the Indian Embassy said on Thursday.

The Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia said that it is ascertaining further details and contacting the affected families.

“Saudi authorities have informed that one Indian national was among two people who unfortunately lost their lives in the attack on Dammam airport yesterday night and two Indian nationals were injured. We are ascertaining further details and contacting the affected families. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and loved ones of the deceased and we wish speedy recovery of the injured,” it said in a post on X.

Earlier in the day, Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) said that two people were killed in the attack that targeted King Fahd International Airport on Wednesday, which includes one Indian resident and one Saudi citizen. It further said that eight people were injured in the attack.

In a statement shared on X, the GACA said, “Further to its earlier statement regarding the attack that targeted King Fahd International Airport in Dammam on the evening of Wednesday, October 21, 2026, corresponding to 10 Jumada Al-Awwal 1448 AH, the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) clarifies that the number of fatalities has risen to (2) after an additional fatality was confirmed, involving (1) Saudi citizen and (1) Indian resident. The number of the injured remains at (8), including (1) Saudi citizen, and residents of the following nationalities: (2) Indian, (2) Yemeni, (2) Bangladeshi, and (1) Nepalese. Their injuries range from minor to critical, and they are receiving the necessary medical care at several hospitals.”

Saudi Arabia’s GACA stated that it is working in coordination with the relevant authorities to complete the damage assessment, verify the safety of the facilities, and take the necessary measures to ensure the safety of passengers and personnel and maintain the security and safety of Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation system. It further mentioned that airport operations have resumed and air traffic has returned to normal.

On Sunday, the Indian Embassy advised its nationals in Saudi Arabia to take due precautions under the prevailing situation, visit the nearest safe place in case of an aerial attack, and refrain from filming, publishing or sharing any information, photos and videos regarding the ongoing events.

“The Indian Community in Saudi Arabia is advised to take due precautions under the prevailing situation. In case of an aerial attack, immediately proceed to the nearest safe place (inside a building or an interior room away from windows), and refrain from filming, publishing, or sharing any information, photos, or videos related to the ongoing events,” it posted on X.

The Embassy said that its officials continue to visit hospitals where Indian nationals are undergoing treatment and are in constant touch with their families and providing necessary assistance.