Dabholkar case: CBI seizes arms cache from Andure’s kin

Arrested accused Andure had revealed that he had hidden some weapons in his cousin’s house

This undated photograph shows Indian activist Narendra Dabholkar who was gunned down by two motorcycle-riding attackers on Tuesday, Aug. 20 as he was taking a morning walk in Pune, India. The 67-year-old doctor-turned-activist had been receiving death threats for years since he began traveling by public buses to hundreds of villages around Maharashtra state to lecture against superstitions, religious extremism, black magic and animal or human sacrifice, according to his friend and fellow activist, Deepak Girme. (AP Photo)

The Central Bureau of Investigation, in collaboration with the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad, has seized a weapons cache from the house of a relative of Sachin Andure, who was arrested last week in connection with the murder of rationalist Narendra Dabholkar.

CBI officers said Mr. Andure, who was arrested on August 18, revealed that he had hidden some weapons in his cousin’s house in Aurangabad.

“We sought ATS [anti-terrorism squad] assistance and on Tuesday morning, the house in question was searched, and a bag was found, which contained a sword, a dagger, a 7.65mm pistol and three live rounds of the same calibre,” a CBI officer said.

Since ammunition of the same calibre was used in Dabholkar’s killing, the gun seized on Tuesday would be sent for ballistic testing.

“Once the reports are received, we will compare it with the ballistic reports of the ammunition used in the offence,” the officer added.

Mr. Andure’s arrest was the result of the interrogation of Sharad Kalaskar who, along with Vaibhav Raut and Sudhnwa Gondhalekar, was nabbed by the ATS on August 10. Mr. Kalaskar allegedly confessed to have been directly involved in Dabholkar’s murder, along with Mr. Andure, who was then summoned for inquiries and later handed over to the CBI on August 18. The ATS went on to arrest a fourth accused, Shrikant Pangarkar, from Jalgaon on Sunday.

Disruptive activities

The ATS is still working on ascertaining the intentions of the four accused, who are charged with planning disruptive activities in various parts of the State. A large quantity of arms, ammunition and explosives has been recovered from the first three accused, while Mr. Pangarkar is said to be a “facilitator and provider” for the trio.

“Investigations so far reveal that the group that the accused are part of is a highly organised one, with various modules operating in silos. There is no interaction between members of different modules, and each module is instructed to focus on its own assigned task, similar to the working of sleeper cells of terrorist organisations. The level of training that the accused appear to have received also indicates an organised set up,” an ATS officer said.

The officer said the scope of the investigation is likely to extend beyond the State’s borders. “We have found out that the arrested have travelled all over the country,” the officer said.