The name of a Pakistani scrap dealer in Dubai has cropped up even as 219 shells were found abandoned in southwest Delhi on Monday.
Chairman of the Central Board of Excise and Customs, A K Singh, told reporters that Dilawar Hussain, a Pakistani national, was the owner of Dubai-based scrap firm Lucky Metals, which supplied metal scrap to Ghaziabad-based Bhushan Metals. A blast in Bhushan Metals factory killed 10 people last week.
"We will come to know details only after investigations," he said when asked whether there was any ISI link to the incidents.
While investigations are on to find the persons behind the presence of explosives in scraps, the finance ministry on Monday swung into action to tighten norms in a bid to preventing recurrence of such incidents. The ministry has decided to rope in forensic experts at major ports to detect explosives and radioactive material in imported metal scrap following recovery of more than 650 rocket shells in scrap imported by steel companies.
Meanwhile, in the single largest recovery of shells so far, 219 were found abandoned in southwest Delhi. "Some 219 shells, of which five are suspected to be live, were found abandoned in a gunny bag in Najafgarh area," Deputy Commissioner of Police (south-west) Deependra Pathak said.
He said the National Security Guards had been informed about the recovery. The shells had probably been abandoned by some factory owner fearing police would search their premises, Pathak said.
Thirty-one shells had been found near Mayapuri in southwest Delhi last Friday.
