New Delhi, Oct 11: A total of 590 kg of illegal firecrackers worth Rs 50 lakh were seized from a shop in the Jama Masjid area and two people arrested, officials said on Sunday.

Ahead of the festive season, the Vigilance branch of Central District was directed to conduct surprise raids in market areas to curb the illegal storage and sale of firecrackers. In compliance with this, inputs were collected, and secret informers were activated.

Following this, specific information was received regarding the illegal storage of firecrackers for sale during the festive season at a Jama Masjid shop, at 1110, named SS & Sons Ram Dass Janki Dass in Bazar Guliyan.

Acting upon the information, Sub-Inspectors Parmendra Kumar and Narender, Assistant Sub-Inspector Bijender, Head Constable Sunny, and Constables Gurcharan and Ct. Rajesh conducted a surprise raid on the shop and found that a signboard was covered with a white plastic sack to conceal its identity.

The officials further informed that initially the shop appeared vacant, with only wooden and glass showcases inside. During a thorough inspection of the wooden ceiling, the police team noticed a marked wooden panel measuring approximately 4 × 4 feet. On examination, the panel was found to have a sliding mechanism concealing a large storage space above the shop.

The team searched the concealed storage area and discovered a large quantity of firecrackers stored illegally. Upon weighing, the total quantity was found to be approximately 590 kg, with an estimated market value of Rs 50 lakh.

Along with the illegal firecrackers, the team also apprehended two persons, Janki Dass and Abheek Dass, from the location. Both the accused, who are residents of Delhi’s Adarsh Nagar, were handed over to the local Jama Masjid police for further investigation.

An FIR No. 534/2026 under Sections 288/223(b) of the BNSS and Sections 5/9(B) of the Explosives Act, 1884, was registered at PS Jama Masjid, and further investigation was taken up by the local police.

During questioning, both apprehended persons admitted their involvement in the present case and disclosed that the firecrackers had been supplied by another person, the official statement read.

Visakhapatnam, Oct 11: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized foreign-origin gold worth Rs 8.98 crore near Visakhapatnam and arrested two persons.

The gold weighing over 5.8 kg was seized from a car after a high-speed chase near Visakhapatnam, the agency said on Sunday.

The gold hidden under the car seat was being transported from Kolkata to Hyderabad.

According to the DRI, it seized 5,832.90 grams of gold worth Rs 8.98 crore in the market from a car travelling from Kolkata to Hyderabad, following a chase and search on the night of October 8-9.

Acting on specific intelligence, DRI officials maintained heightened vigilance along the National Highway. They intercepted the car carrying two passengers after a prolonged chase.

After sustained questioning and a systematic search of the vehicle, officials detected a specially fabricated cavity beneath the leg space of the front co-passenger seat. They recovered three packets containing 5,832.90 grams of 24-carat gold of 999 purity from the concealed compartment.

According to the officials, the gold had been smuggled into India through the India-Bangladesh border and was being transported to Hyderabad.

Officials seized the recovered gold under the provisions of the Customs Act, 1962. They arrested and produced both passengers before the jurisdictional magistrate, who remanded them to judicial custody.

The DRI said in another press release on Sunday that it intensified its crackdown on cross-border gold smuggling from Bangladesh, seizing around 7.8 kg of foreign-origin gold valued at more than Rs 11.50 crore in intelligence-led operations conducted on October 8-9 in the eastern region.

The operations exposed the use of road and railway networks to transport smuggled gold from border areas towards Kolkata, resulting in the arrest of six persons, the DRI said.

The officials seized 50 gold bars, weighing around 6.8 kg and valued at approximately Rs 10 crore, from a four-wheeler at Dankuni Toll Plaza. The vehicle, carrying four persons, was travelling from Banpur, near the Bangladesh border, towards Kolkata.

On the same day, DRI teams in West Bengal intercepted passengers on trains at two railway stations, i.e., Malda Town Railway Station and New Jalpaiguri Railway Station and seized around 1 kg of foreign-origin gold, valued at around Rs 1.5 crore, from their possession.

New Delhi, Oct 11: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday said that opposition leaders would meet the Chief Justice of India (CJI) to apprise him of their concerns, alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah were creating an atmosphere of chaos in the country.

Kharge said he had written a letter seeking an appointment with the CJI, adding that the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, had also written to him. The party has sought time between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. for the meeting.

“Tomorrow, we are also going to meet the Chief Justice of India. I have written a letter, and Rahul has also written a letter. We have sought a time between 4 and 5 (p.m). Now, let us see. We will also apprise him. We cannot demand anything from him. We will only request him with folded hands. These are the things that should be kept in mind,” he said.

Alleging that the government was creating an atmosphere of fear ahead of the announced youth agitation, the Congress chief questioned the deployment of a large number of security personnel.

“In the country, chaos is being created by the Prime Minister and Home Minister. Nearly 32,000 policemen and nearly 7,500 CRF were deployed yesterday, which itself shows how much fear he has got because of the announced youth agitation,” he said.

Kharge also compared the situation with the Emergency. “Yesterday also, youths were agitating, but even during the Emergency, such things did not happen. During the Emergency, we were all ministers. No trains were stopped, no flights were stopped, nothing. People used to move freely,” he said.

Recalling his experience as a Karnataka minister during the Emergency, when D. Devaraj Urs was the Chief Minister, he said that people were not unnecessarily arrested.

“I was the Education Minister at that time, and Devaraj Urs was the Chief Minister of the state. We never unnecessarily arrested any people. In fact, many people used to come and request Devaraj Urs, ‘Kindly arrest us.’ Then he refused to arrest them. He said, ‘On what ground can I arrest?'” Kharge said.

The Congress President also targeted the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) over the legal protection provided to the head of the Election Commission of India and its members under the 2023 law, alleging that the government had introduced the legislation to protect them from legal action.

“To create such an atmosphere, PM Modi brought the 2023 Act to protect the Chief Election Commissioner and members. That immunity he gave. That immunity is not even for the President of India, not the Chief Justice, but that is given to one Election Commissioner,” he said.

His remarks come amid the Congress’s continuing allegations of electoral irregularities and its criticism of the government’s handling of protests.