Lt col Srikant Prasad Purohit, posted at the Army Education Corps Training College and Centre in Panchmarhi, Madhya Pradesh, was arrested by the Anti-Terrorist Squad on Wednesday.
Money was transferred from his account through hawala, says ATS
NASHIK: Lt col Srikant Prasad Purohit, posted at the Army Education Corps Training College and Centre in Panchmarhi, Madhya Pradesh, was arrested by the Anti-Terrorist Squad on Wednesday for his suspected role in the Malegaon blast on September 29.
Army officers handed him over to the ATS in Mumbai at 12:10 am and he was arrested at 9:30 am. The chief judicial magistrate’s court in Nashik remanded him in police custody till November 15.
Being a senior army officer, Purohit may have knowledge of arms and ammunition, including RDX, the prosecution told chief judicial magistrate DK Boche. Public prosecutor Ajay Misar pointed out to the court that the Forensic Science Lab in Kalina had found traces of RDX in the remains collected from the blast site.
The prosecution also said Purohit played a key role in managing the finance of the Hindu group, Abhinav Bharat. The ATS suspects huge amount of money was transferred from his account to various other accounts. Misar claimed that the money was transferred through hawala.
The prosecution said Purohit’s name cropped up during the interrogation of Maj (retd) Ramesh Upadhyay, another blast suspect. Upadhyay had told the ATS that he and Purohit had attended many meetings in places like Haryana, Kashmir, Pune, Bhopal and at Bhonsla Military School. Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur was present in some of these meetings, the prosecution said.
The prosecution also submitted the panchnama of weapons seized from another suspect Rakesh Dattatray Dhawade, an arms researcher. The ATS claims that Purohit gave Dhawade four weapons and some cartridges to keep.
After the court remanded Purohit in police custody, the prosecution sought its permission for narco, polygraph and brain-mapping tests on him. The court granted the permission after Purohit agreed to the tests.
The court rejected an application by Uma Bharati’s Janshakti party seeking permission to meet Pragya Singh, as the party intends to field her in the assembly elections in MP.
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