Wed Apr 02 07:17:54 UTC 2025: ## West Bengal Gas Blast: Firecracker Unit Owner Arrested
**Kolkata, April 2, 2025** – The prime suspect in Monday night’s deadly gas cylinder explosion in Pathar Pratima, West Bengal, has been arrested. Chandrakanta Banik, owner of a nearby firecracker manufacturing unit, was taken into custody this morning following overnight interrogation, according to Sunderban Police District SP Koteswara Rao. The explosion claimed the lives of eight people, including four children and two women.
Police are investigating whether raw materials from Banik’s firecracker unit were stored in the house where the blast occurred. Forensic experts are currently examining the site. Banik’s brother remains at large and is also being sought by authorities. This is the first arrest made in connection with the incident.
First Piper 