Mumbai: The sessions court on Monday remanded Vaibhav Raut and Sudhanwa Gondhalekar in judicial custody for 14 days in the Nallasopara arms haul case. It also sent Shrikhant Pangarkar, another accused, to police custody till September 6, and Sharad Kalaskar, also an accused, to the Central Bureau of Investigation custody in connection with murder of rationalist Narendera Dabholkar.
The Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) had previously told the court that there is a direct link between the murder of Gauri Lankesh and Dabholkar.
On August 31, the ATS told the court that the fifth accused in the arms haul case, Avinash Pawar, is suspected to be a right-wing activist, and had conducted reconnaissance of several persons, including Mukta Dabholkar, daughter of Dabholkar, Shyam Manav, a social activist, and Jitendra Avhad, Nationalist Congress Party MLA. The court had sent him to the custody of the ATS till September 4.
Mr. Pawar (30), a resident of Bhatwadi in Ghatkopar (West), was arrested on August 24. He is alleged to have been involved in planning the attacks, and had full knowledge of the plot and the movement of the arsenal. He worked as a loader at Mazgaon dock. His family said he was also the president of an organisation named Swarajya Yuva Prathistha.
The group conspired to hurl bombs at Bhanusagar talkies and Prakash talkies in Belgaum where Padmavat was screened. According to the ATS, Mr. Kalaskar also planned to throw bombs at a Western musical concert (Sunburn) in Pune, and conducted the recce of the spot along with the other accused. Sunburn was targeted because it was against Hindu culture.
