Maharashtra Terror Conspiracy: Two more terror suspects likely to be arrested from Pune; more seizure of weapons expected

Pune: After getting the custody of three persons on Friday including Pune based Sudhanwa Gondhalekar for allegedly possessing crude bombs and weapons, Maharashtra ATS is expected to make some more arrests in connection with the case on Saturday from Pune.

Pune: After getting the custody of three persons on Friday including Pune based Sudhanwa Gondhalekar for allegedly possessing crude bombs and weapons, Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) is expected to make some more arrests in connection with the case on Saturday from Pune.

Highly placed sources in police department informed that ATS is going to arrest two more men from Pune and are going to seize more than a dozen firearms from the city on Saturday.

Other than Gondhalekar, the other two were identified as Vaibhav Raut and Sharad Kalaskar, who were arrested from Palghar and are associated with the Sanatan Sanstha. 

The court of additional session Judge Sameer Adkar in Mumbai on Friday remanded all the three accused to ATS custody till August 18.

The series of arrest started with the arrest of Raut who is a Sanatan Sanstha sympathizer. He was arrested during the wee hours on Thursday by the sleuths of ATS from his residence at Nala Sopara in Palghar. According to ATS, they have recovered around eight country-made bombs along with some literature and other explosives from the residence of Raut.

Followed by the arrest of Raut, ATS also arrested Kalaskar and Gondhalekar on Friday from Nala Sopara and Pune respectively on Friday.

The arrests were made on a tip-off received by ATS on August 7, that the arrested persons along with others are planning to carry out terrorist activities in Mumbai, Pune, Satara, Solapur and Palghar.

Pune based Gondhalekar was arrested from his residence in Nanded City in Dhayari on Friday.

Sources informed that they are going to arrest two more men from Pune in connection with the case and are going to seize more than a dozen firearms.

Gondalekar was arrested after it came to light that he was in constant touch with the two other accused Raut and Salaskar.

According to ATS, Gondhalekar is the member of Shiv Pratishthan Hindustan, an organization headed by Sambhaji Bhide alias Bhide Guruji.

However, Nitin Chowgle, a senior member of Shiv Pratishthan Hindustan said," From last four years we don't have any ties with Gondhalekar, but before that, he has participated in some of our programmes."

In the raids conducted at the house of three accused, police have recovered 20 crude bombs, two gelatin sticks along with literature on how to make bombs.