Radioactive material in Delhi scrap shop, five taken ill

NEW DELHI - Five people were taken ill and suffered burn-like injuries after coming in contact with a substance emitting “mild radiation” in a scrap market in west Delhi Thursday. Police assured there was nothing to worry.

Deepak Jain, owner of the scrap shop in Mayapuri Phase 2 in west Delhi where the object was found, is in hospital after his body turned black when he touched the material, according to eyewitnesses. Four other people, including three working in the shop, were also affected by the radiation.

According to reports, the affected people suffered burn injuries and fell unconscious after coming in touch with the material. They have been admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Trauma Centre.

Delhi Police spokesperson Rajan Bhagat said: “There is mild radiation in the scrap shop. We have evacuated the nearby areas. Our prime concern is to neutralise the radiation. Our teams are working on it. We are very hopeful that it will be neutralised in some time.”

“There is nothing to worry,” Bhagat said, adding, “We will investigate where the material came from and further probe will be carried out.”

Deputy Commissioner Police Sharad Agarwal told IANS that an area of 50 metres around the shop had been cordoned off.

People in the area panicked as they said those present within a few meters of the shop also felt the effect of the radiation from the object.

As TV channels flashed the news, many people also got calls from their worried relatives.

“I didn’t know about it. I got a call from my parents in Kashmir who saw the news on TV and panicked,” said Saajid Ahmed, an employee in a Delhi-based tech company.

Ahmed, a Kashmiri, said the news had spread fast to other parts of the country and some of his other friends from outside also got “frantic calls” from their relatives.