‘Terrorist’ gang planned to target rationalists, says Maha ATS

Mateen.Hafeez@timesgroup.com

Mumbai: The ATS found that the gang had done a recce (with the intention of causing physical harm) of rationalists, speakers, littérateurs, and others who target the Hindu religion and its traditions and customs, a release from the agency said.

The gang carried out a recce of the (Sunburn) venue but dropped its plan at the last moment as one of the accused alerted others that he has been possibly captured on one of the CCTVs there. On Wednesday, the ATS filed a 6,880-page chargesheet against the 12 accused, who are now in judicial custody, for planning to carry out terror strikes in various cities of Maharashtra. The ATS has, for the first time, mentioned in its press note that the accused are members of Sanatan Sanstha and the Hindu Janjagruti Samiti.

Two years ago, the CBI had, in its chargesheet in the Narendra Dabholkar murder case, named another Sanatan Sanstha member.“Investigation established that Sanatan Sanstha sadhak (and doctor) Virendrasinh Tawde, who harboured enmity hatred with Dabholkar owing to ideological differences, criminally conspired with sadhaks Vinay Pawar, Sarang Akolkar and others to murder Dabholkar,” the CBI chargesheet said.

The ATS note said, “During investigation, it was revealed that the members of the terrorist gang are also members of organisations such as Sanatan Sanstha, Hindu Janjagruti Samiti and similar other smaller organisations. They had drawn their motivation of making efforts towards establishment of so called Hindu Rashtra as explained in the book called ‘Kshatra Dharma Sadhana’, published by Sanatan Sanstha. Copies of the book has been seized by the ATS.’’ Special public prosecutor Raja Thackray urged the special NIA court that names of witnesses should not be disclosed as it could endanger their lives. No accused was brought to the court on Wednesday.

The Times of India, December 6, 2018

ATS names Sanatan Sanstha members in arms haul case

 

Mateen.Hafeez@timesgroup.com

 

Mumbai: The state anti-terrorism squad (ATS) on Wednesday said some members of right-wing outfits Sanatan Sanstha and Hindu Janjagruti Samiti formed a terrorist gang to undermine the country’s integrity, security and sovereignty, and planned to target those who question the Hindu religion and its traditions and customs. The ATS said it unearthed a plot to target the Sunburn music festival in Pune last December with country-made bombs and petrol bombs.

The ATS filed a chargesheet against 12 persons in the seizure of bombs and explosives from the premises of Sanatan Sanstha member Vaibhav Raut in Nalasopara in August this year. The gang had “planned to use country-made bombs, petrol bombs and firearms and indulge in heavy stone-pelting to send a strong message to the followers of Western music and Western culture and terrorise the minds of all those who would attend the said programme”, according to a press release issued by the ATS.

The Times of India, December 6, 2018

Material for 50-60 bombs brought to city from Pune

Mateen.Hafeez@timesgroup.com

 

Mumbai: After recovering chemical powder during the raid in Nalasopara last month, the ATS had sent it to the state forensic science laboratory (FSL) at Kalina for chemical analysis. A report submitted by it has confirmed that the powders are explosive by nature. Besides 18.5kg of a grainy, white powder, there are 150gm of nitrate and 3.5kg of aluminium powder—both used to create impact in explosions—1.5kg charcoal powder (used as a catalyst for burning) and 1.9kg sulphur (to enhance the burning energy). 

The chemical powders were enough to make 50-60 bombs, sources said. The entire raw material was stored in Pune, however, since there was no immediate plan to prepare bombs and cause explosion, it was shifted to Nalasopara. The material would make low-intensity bombs, which are unlikely to cause widespread damage or loss of lives, but could have fanned terror.

The expiry of the bombs depends upon the climate, humidity, etc of the place where they are stored. “The seized bombs will be destroyed with court’s permission,” the sources said.

The ATS, which busted the terror module last month, has so far arrested nine suspects, including Raut, Sharad Kalaskar and former corporator Shrikant Pangarkgar, termed as the chief fund raiser. They were planning blasts in five cities in the state, like Mumbai, Pune, Satara, and Sholapur, and had drawn up a hit-list of prominent personalities, including rationalist Narendra Dabholkar’s daughter Mukta, activist Shyam Manav, and NCP MLA Jitendra Ahvad.

The group wanted to target those who spoke against Hinduism or portrayed Hindus in a poor light, said police sources. “Most of the accused were social media-savvy and were very active. We are scanning their social media profiles and posts. It will give us more information about the suspects and their ideology,” said a source.

The Times of India, September 15, 2018
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Bike used by Lankesh killers seized by ATS

Prafulla.Marpakwar@timesgroup.com

 

Mumbai: A year after journalist-turned-activist Gauri Lankesh was shot dead at her house in Bengaluru, the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad led by IPS officer Atulchandra Kulkarni has identified the vehicle used by her killers. 

A senior IPS officer on Friday told TOI that the motorcycle used by the assailants has been identified and would be handed over to Karnataka’s Special Investigation Team. “During the investigation after huge explosives were found in a house in Nalasopara, a motorcycle was found on the outskirts of Maharashtra. We submitted specific details of the vehicle to the SIT. It was confirmed that the vehicle was used by the assailants for killing Gauri Lankesh. The vehicle will be handed over to the SIT after completing legal formalities,’’ the IPS officer said.

The IPS officer said one of the accused has confessed that he shot dead Gauri Lankesh on the evening of September 5 last year. “We are in constant touch with senior IPS officials associated with Karnataka’s SIT and there is exchange of information. As a result, there was progress in the investigation. The SIT has so far detained 10 suspects in the Gauri Lankesh murder case. The probe may reach a conclusive stage soon,’’ he said.

The Times of India, September 15, 2018

With bomb cache, plot to hit ’18 Sunburn unearthed

Mateen.Hafeez@timesgroup.com
 

Mumbai: Different chemical powders weighing 24kg seized from the Nalasopara house of arrested gau rakshak and Sanathan Sanstha sympathizer Vaibhav Raut are explosives and were enough to make 50-60 bombs. 

The Anti-Terrorism Squad had seized 22 bombs, each weighing 500-600g, from Raut’s house. Investigators are now focusing on the larger terror conspiracy, and a senior IPS officer said the popular Sunburn music festival, set to be held in November-December 2018, was also in the crosshairs of the busted terror module.

The electronic dance music festival attended by lakhs is held near Pune. The ATS had told the court that the group planned to target the earlier edition of Sunburn, held on 28-31 December, 2017, as they consider it “anti-Hindu”, but developed cold feet. The seized bombs were assembled a month before the Sunburn fest last December, said a source.

The Times of India, September 15, 2018

Cops: 2 held from Jalgaon kept tabs on those they felt were anti-Hindu

Mateen.Hafeez@timesgroup.com

 

Mumbai: The two terror suspects arrested from Jalgaon had kept tabs on several people who they felt spoke against Hindu religion or made films depicting the religion in poor light, the state anti-terrorism squad (ATS), probing the Nalasopara arms haul case, informed the holiday court on Sunday. 

While seeking custody of Liladhar Lodhi (32) and Vasudev Suryavanshi (29), the police informed the court that they had seized three bombs from them and they wanted to interrogate them to find out the terror conspiracy plot and who were on their target list. The police, however, did not name the persons who Lodhi and Suryavanshi kept tabs on. The holiday court remanded the duo in police custody till September 17.

Earlier, the ATS had arrested five men in the arms haul case. Four of them, including gau rakshak Vaibhav Raut, are in judicial custody, and one has been taken into custody by the CBI for his role in rationalist Narendra Dabholkar’s murder case. While going through the police case diaries, the court had observed that Dabholkar’s daughter Mukta, NCP MLA Jitendra Ahwad and activist Shyam Manv were on the hit list of these five terror suspects.

Besides three bombs, the ATS had seized some explosives, mobile phones, four pen drives and number plates of two vehicles from Lodhi’s house and a DVD, three pocket diaries, mobile phones and a pen drive from Suryavanshi’s residence. They are probing if the number plates were used in any crimes earlier. A sniffer dog from the bomb detection and disposal squad helped detect the explosives at Lodhi’s home. “The explosives and bombs have been sent for chemical analysis,” said an ATS officer, adding that they suspect that the duo may have hidden more bombs.

The police told the court they also want to probe if Lodhi and Suryavanshi were planning any terror activity in Nashik or Jalgaon. Sanjeev Punalekar, the defence lawyer, pointed out that his clients were in ATS custody since three days and this should be considered by the court while deciding on the number of days for police custody. But the police argued that they wanted to establish where the duo got the explosives from. “It’s a big conspiracy...We are getting several names and verifying the details to establish if they have any role to play in this terror conspiracy plot,” said an ATS officer.

The Times of India, September 10, 2018