LUCKNOW, June 29 -- In a significant development in the investigation of the firecracker factory explosion that killed five people earlier this month, Hapur police on Friday arrested Saif-ur-Rehman, the operator of the illegal unit. A resident of Bhanda Patti in Hapur, Saif was taken into custody near the Shakarpur underpass on the Delhi highway in Rajabpur while he was waiting to meet his lawyer. After his arrest, the police added section 100 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita-culpable homicide not amounting to murder-to the FIR. Saif was presented before a local court and subsequently remanded to judicial custody. The incident occurred on June 16, when a powerful blast tore through an illegally run firecracker factory near Atarasi village in the Rajabpur area. Four women died on the spot, while a fifth succumbed to her injuries during treatment in Meerut. According to circle officer Shakti Singh, Saif was fully aware of the dangers associated with the firecracker manufacturing process but continued to operate the factory in flagrant violation of safety norms. Explosive materials were being stored in one place, and untrained women workers were made to handle them. The deadly blast reportedly occurred while explosive materials were being compacted into firecrackers. "Saif was fully aware that a blast could happen at any time, yet he continued the operations with blatant disregard for safety," said CO Shakti Singh. Police officials are still probing whether more individuals were involved in the running or funding of the illegal unit....