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NewsX Exclusive: Inside ATS's dossier on Malegaon blasts case
Sat-Jan 17, 2009
Mumbai / Preeti Gupta
The Maharashtra Anti terrorism squad is expected to file the chargesheet in the Malegaon blast case by Monday.
As per the chargesheet – to which NewsX has exclusive access - the ATS claims that it has clinching evidence against Lt Col Shrikant Purohit, Sadhvi Pragya Singh and others who have been arrested.
Background
The Malegaon blast took place on September 29, 2008. The bomb, placed on a motorcycle, killed six people - among them a 11 year old girl.
The ATS's findings created a political furore as it showed the involvement of serving and ex-army personnel and people belonging to Hindu groups like the Abhinav Bharat.
The following is what the ATS dossier claims:
People involved
• The key player according to the ATS was serving Lt Colonel Shrikant Purohit, who was arrested in November 2008. Purohit who had worked with the military intelligence organised explosives and gave the strategy for the blast. He had apparently attended secret meetings of the group and even organised funds besides training people in using explosives.
• The motorcycle on which the explosives were placed was owned by Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur who was arrested in Surat. The ATS says that she had discussed the blasts with another of the accused, who is believed to have planted the explosives. She is said to have political connections.
• A retired major, Upadhyay – who was arrested in Pune - was the link between Purohit and Abhinav Bharat. He was also involved in funding and training the group.
• Ajay Rahirkar, who was arrested from Pune, was the treasurer of the Abhinav Bharat. He was the man who gave funds to the other accused; the money used was routed through Hawala.
• The chief strategist is believed to be Sameer Kulkarni, who was arrested from Bhopal in October 2008. He was in charge of the Madhya Pradesh unit of Abhinav Bharat and is said to have spilled the beans about Purohit’s involvement.
• Another individual involved is Rakesh Dhawade, an antique arms collector, who bought the arms and organised the training camps. He was picked up from Pune in November 2008.
• Among some other people who played different roles in the plot are Shivnarayan Kalsangra, Shyamlal Sahu and Jagdish Mahtre.
• The ATS is looking for three other people, Ramji Kalsangra and Sandeep Dangle and Pravin Mutalik, who it says planted the bombs in Malegaon.
• Both Kalsangra and Dangle are key to the investigations as several questions such as the source of explosives, the real sequence of events before the blasts and possible involvement of other people remain unanswered.
Explosives used
With regard to the question of the explosives that were used, the ATS claims that large quantities of army RDX was diverted by Purohit
As per the ATS, 60 kg of RDX was under Purohit's possession when he was posted in Devalali in 2006.
He has confided to one of the eyewitnesses that he lied to the Army that he later threw away the consignment in the Jhelum river, and is believed to have given a part of it to someone called Bhagwan who used it in Samjhota train blast of 2007.
The FSL report submitted in the case says that 18 minute particles of RDX were found at the blast site.
Planning and financing
Besides all this, the ATS chargesheet also gives details of the planning and financing of the blast.
According to the ATS, meetings were held in Bhopal on March 12 and earlier in January in Faridabad.
Self-styled religious guru Dyanand Pandey who was arrested in Gorakhpur had also arranged a meeting between Ramji and Purohit in August, while, another meeting was held in Pune just few days before the blast.
Sameer Kulkarni, Purohit and Sadhvi Pragya had also met in Bhopal and Jabalpur
Finally, Upadhyay, Kulkarni and Purohit were part of the meeting that took place 10 days before the blast at Bhosala Military School in Nashik.
Moreover, the ATS has also recovered large amounts of money which was to be used for blasts.
According to them, Rs 75,500 was seized from Ajay Rahirkar's residence in Pune.
Purohit had apparently asked Rahirkar to give the money to Samir Kulkarni, Upadhyay and Rakesh Dhawade and nearly Rs 11 lakh was paid by Rahirkar through hawala.
According to the ATS, the group was armed with weapons which were kept with Rakesh Dhawade. On the instance of Purohit, Rahirkar had paid Dhawade to buy weapons six weapons.
Two dismantle pistols and 196 live cartridges were found on Dhawade and Mahtre at the time of arrest on November 3.
Dhawade also provided transport and accommodation for training in Sinhagad on the outskirts of Pune. Some 54 people were trained there and a couple of them are witnesses in the case.
As per the chargesheet – to which NewsX has exclusive access - the ATS claims that it has clinching evidence against Lt Col Shrikant Purohit, Sadhvi Pragya Singh and others who have been arrested.
Background
The Malegaon blast took place on September 29, 2008. The bomb, placed on a motorcycle, killed six people - among them a 11 year old girl.
The ATS's findings created a political furore as it showed the involvement of serving and ex-army personnel and people belonging to Hindu groups like the Abhinav Bharat.
The following is what the ATS dossier claims:
People involved
• The key player according to the ATS was serving Lt Colonel Shrikant Purohit, who was arrested in November 2008. Purohit who had worked with the military intelligence organised explosives and gave the strategy for the blast. He had apparently attended secret meetings of the group and even organised funds besides training people in using explosives.
• The motorcycle on which the explosives were placed was owned by Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur who was arrested in Surat. The ATS says that she had discussed the blasts with another of the accused, who is believed to have planted the explosives. She is said to have political connections.
• A retired major, Upadhyay – who was arrested in Pune - was the link between Purohit and Abhinav Bharat. He was also involved in funding and training the group.
• Ajay Rahirkar, who was arrested from Pune, was the treasurer of the Abhinav Bharat. He was the man who gave funds to the other accused; the money used was routed through Hawala.
• The chief strategist is believed to be Sameer Kulkarni, who was arrested from Bhopal in October 2008. He was in charge of the Madhya Pradesh unit of Abhinav Bharat and is said to have spilled the beans about Purohit’s involvement.
• Another individual involved is Rakesh Dhawade, an antique arms collector, who bought the arms and organised the training camps. He was picked up from Pune in November 2008.
• Among some other people who played different roles in the plot are Shivnarayan Kalsangra, Shyamlal Sahu and Jagdish Mahtre.
• The ATS is looking for three other people, Ramji Kalsangra and Sandeep Dangle and Pravin Mutalik, who it says planted the bombs in Malegaon.
• Both Kalsangra and Dangle are key to the investigations as several questions such as the source of explosives, the real sequence of events before the blasts and possible involvement of other people remain unanswered.
Explosives used
With regard to the question of the explosives that were used, the ATS claims that large quantities of army RDX was diverted by Purohit
As per the ATS, 60 kg of RDX was under Purohit's possession when he was posted in Devalali in 2006.
He has confided to one of the eyewitnesses that he lied to the Army that he later threw away the consignment in the Jhelum river, and is believed to have given a part of it to someone called Bhagwan who used it in Samjhota train blast of 2007.
The FSL report submitted in the case says that 18 minute particles of RDX were found at the blast site.
Planning and financing
Besides all this, the ATS chargesheet also gives details of the planning and financing of the blast.
According to the ATS, meetings were held in Bhopal on March 12 and earlier in January in Faridabad.
Self-styled religious guru Dyanand Pandey who was arrested in Gorakhpur had also arranged a meeting between Ramji and Purohit in August, while, another meeting was held in Pune just few days before the blast.
Sameer Kulkarni, Purohit and Sadhvi Pragya had also met in Bhopal and Jabalpur
Finally, Upadhyay, Kulkarni and Purohit were part of the meeting that took place 10 days before the blast at Bhosala Military School in Nashik.
Moreover, the ATS has also recovered large amounts of money which was to be used for blasts.
According to them, Rs 75,500 was seized from Ajay Rahirkar's residence in Pune.
Purohit had apparently asked Rahirkar to give the money to Samir Kulkarni, Upadhyay and Rakesh Dhawade and nearly Rs 11 lakh was paid by Rahirkar through hawala.
According to the ATS, the group was armed with weapons which were kept with Rakesh Dhawade. On the instance of Purohit, Rahirkar had paid Dhawade to buy weapons six weapons.
Two dismantle pistols and 196 live cartridges were found on Dhawade and Mahtre at the time of arrest on November 3.
Dhawade also provided transport and accommodation for training in Sinhagad on the outskirts of Pune. Some 54 people were trained there and a couple of them are witnesses in the case.
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Comments For This Post
Which media is alive today to reveal the fact behind Arushi murder case? Can anybody deny that the conspiracy theories on with so called evidence presented by the CBI before media were all false? For lack of evidence as presented by the CBI the poor guys were made free by the court. The story created by the CBI seems only to make Arushi's father free from UP police. Should one conclude that all these most reliable agencies in this country function only at the instigation of the Govt. in power?
We have only heard and heard. We have observed that the arrest of a person involved in terror leads to arma and ammunit.
In this case we had only words and words. No arms and ammunition found anywhere. Leaks to the media claimed as exclusive by media and later ATS announces that this is media wrong interpretation
Media is playing immature and making antinational statements like lnking of Samjhauta express Blast. When do we have the maturity.
By the way where was the Anti Terror " Squad" during mumbai attack. We only observed The Chief. Where was his Squad!!!!! Did they fire a single bullet ? We only heard the licking of 303 rifle that too of Mumbai police. Where was The Squad.
Nobody in media raised this question. Probably this would not fetch TRP.
The Army has officially clarified that Cl. Purohit had no access to RDX at any point of time. Is ATS filing this charge sheet to save its face despite knowing that it is full of holes?
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