Key accused in MP firecracker factory blast that claimed 6 lives held in Delhi on return from China

Police arrested the main accused, Mukesh Vij, in the Dewas firecracker factory blast case at Delhi's international airport on his return from China, marking the fifth arrest in the case.

Police on Thursday arrested the main accused in last week's firecracker factory blast that killed six workers in Madhya Pradesh's Dewas district, at the international airport in Delhi on his return from China, officials said.

This is the fifth arrest in the case, they said.

Accused Mukesh Vij, a resident of Delhi, had been absconding since the incident. He allegedly played a key role behind the scenes in the operation of the firecracker factory, the police said.

Six workers died and more than 20 others suffered injuries in the explosion at the firecracker factory located in the Tonk Kalan area of Dewas on May 14.

A police official said Vij went absconding since the incident, and authorities had learnt that he was abroad.

Dewas police had issued a lookout circular (LOC) against Vij, he said.

Vij was identified on the basis of the LOC and arrested at New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport on his arrival from Guangzhou city in China on Thursday morning, the official added.

Four accused, including factory licensee Anil Malviya and joint operator Kapil Vij, had already been arrested in connection with the blast case.

A 13-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted to probe the matter.