Mumbai: The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has made its first arrest from Mumbai in connection with the right-wing terror ring that was busted in Palghar leading to the unravelling of the murder plot against rationalist Narendra Dabholkar.
The ATS on Friday arrested 30-year-old Ghatkopar resident Avinash Pawar, who was in constant contact with one of four arrested right-wingers. Investigators said that an ATS team arrested Pawar, who has been working with Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited, from the docks. The youth was produced before the sessions court on Saturday morning, and he was remanded in ATS custody till August 31. Investigators said that the new name came up during the questioning of the trio who were arrested from Nalasopara and Pune.
“Pawar was picked up for questioning on Friday evening, after interrogation of the previously arrested accused as well as corroborative inquiries pointed to his involvement in the plot. We questioned him at length and subsequently placed him under arrest late on Friday night,” an ATS officer said.
ATS officials told the court there was no clarity on the Pawar’s exact role in the arms and explosives’ cache that was seized from Nalasopara in the intervening night of August 10 and 11. The purpose of his contact with one of the accused needs to be ascertained, the ATS said.
The ATS added that two of his mobile phones had been seized and they would be sent for forensic analysis. The ATS will look into Pawar’s call records and texts or data that was exchanged with any of the previously arrested accused.
The ATS had arrested Vaibhav Raut, Sharad Kalaskar, Sudhanva Gondhalekar and Shrikant Pangarkar, a former Shiv Sena corporator from Jalna, in connection with the terror case. The ATS later seized large cache of firearms and 20 crude bombs along with semi-complete firearms and material used to make the bombs from residences of Raut in Nalasopara and Gonghalekar in Pune.
The ATS also told the court that it needs to ascertain if Pawar was also given arms training like Raut, Kalaskar and Gondhalekar or if he was part of the Dabholkar murder plot in any way. The officials are also likely to search his residence.
Advocate Sanjeev Punalekar, the lawyer who represents Pawar and other arrested accused in the case, said, “We all know Pawar personally unlike Kalaskar and Andhure. They would lead public gatherings and were one of those who raised their voice against ATS after the Malegaon investigation and now they are in ATS custody. Pawar has been an active person in conducting agitations. This is Malegaon part two and there is no word on how Pawar was linked to the case if they claim the earlier arrested accused named him during interrogation.”
