LAHORE, Sept 8: Police claimed on Friday to have arrested 81 shopkeepers involved in fireworks business and seized a large quantity of material. A police spokesman said they had registered 20 cases in Mughalpura division, 15 in Cantonment, 13 in city division, 12 in Ravi, 11 in Kot Lakhpat, nine in Model Town, seven in Sadar, six in Iqbal Town and four in Civil Lines division.

The police recovered 3,700 match-box bombs, 2,800 cracker bombs, 1,400 aerial crackers and other material.

Meanwhile, the district nazim on Friday imposed a ban on storage, sale and transportation of fireworks for two days.

DCO Mian Ijaz convened a meeting of the town municipal officers, sub-registrars and police officers to evolve a strategy for checking the sale of fireworks.

He directed the police officers to constitute squads for patrolling roads and streets and arrest everyone found selling and transporting fireworks. Motorcyclists and vehicles suspected of carrying fireworks should also be searched.