Dubai Police said the fireworks that caused the two recent explosions in which nine people died were labelled as toys to fool the authorities.
In a press conference yesterday, Major General Sharafuddin Al Sayed Sharaf, Assistant Dubai Police Chief for Criminal Investigation, stressed that tough measures should be taken to stop such goods from entering the country. He added that in the insurance policy too the products were listed as toys.
Three people have been charged with manslaughter, criminal negligence, and endangering lives. They have been referred to the Public Prosecution.
The products, which comprised firecrackers and caps used as ammunition in toy guns, caused a massive explosion and fire in Al Quoz on Thursday. Eight people died, 10 others were injured. It also destroyed three warehouses and caused extensive damage to the adjourning buildings.
In another explosion last Monday in Al Awir one person, Lal Mohammed Shafiee, died and nine warehouses were gutted.
Maj. Gen. Sharafuddin said their investigations had revealed the accused Jujendar Sit Singh, an Indian trader, had bought two shipments of the product.
After the first explosion, he asked the second accused, Vijay Kumar, a foreman, to help him get rid of the goods. He in turn contacted another trader, Tayib Hasan Ali, the third accused, who owned a warehouse and got his permission to store the products.
When questioned the suspects revealed that the cargo was to be reshipped to neighbouring countries. Fireworks are usually in demand during the Eid.
Maj. Gen. Sharafuddin said the police, while raiding a warehouse after the explosions, discovered a cache of fireworks stored in it.
Colonel Abdul Qader Al Khayat, Director of the General Department of Forensic Sciences, said the explosion may have happened due to mishandling of the cartons containing the fireworks.
"It seems that the fireworks detonated when the workers roughly handled the cartons during the unloading process. Such products need to be handled with care," he said.
The dead have been identified as Mohammed Sagheer, Pakistani, Abdul Qadeer Siraj, Indian, Saleh Tawfiq Saleh, Sudanese, and Abdul Hamid Qardood, Indian. The rest of the bodies have not been identified yet as the remains are unrecognisable. The forensic department is still trying to identify them.
Gulf News 2003
