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Indian Express
7 days ago
- Indian Express
Names of 2 missing Malegaon blasts cases accused popped up during probe into Gauri Lankesh murder
The names of two absconding men, who were accused in the 2006 and 2008 Malegaon blasts cases, also surfaced during the Karnataka Police's investigation into the murder of 55-year-old journalist Gauri Lankesh outside her home in Bengaluru in September 2017. Ramchandra Kalsangra and Sandeep Dange, who are also wanted in the 2007 Hyderabad Mecca Masjid blast case, and the 2007 Ajmer Sharif blast case, were suspected to be among the four men who trained some of the 17 men, arrested in the Gauri Lankesh case, at secret camps where training was provided to recruits to make bombs. Kalsangara and Dange, who are linked to the right-wing outfit Abhinav Bharat, are also among seven men linked to multiple terrorism cases in the country between 2006 and 2009 who have disappeared in the last 15 years. The others are Ramesh alias Amit alias Ashok alias Ashwini Chauhan who is also linked to Abhinav Bharat and wanted in the 2006 Malegaon blasts and the 2007 Samjhauta Express blasts cases; Jay Prakash alias Anna, Praveen Limkar, Sarang Akolkar, and Rudra Patil are all linked to the Sanatan Sanstha and wanted in a 2009 Goa blast case where a member of the group was killed. During the course of its investigations into Gauri Lankesh's murder, the Karnataka Police Special Invstigation Team (SIT) found that a Sanatan Sanstha linked group organised 19 training camps in the usage of firearms, Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), and subterfuge tactics across India between 2011 and 2017 with 'guest trainers' attending five of the camps held in Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Karnataka. Based on descriptions provided by those arrested and witnesses in the Gauri Lankesh case who saw the 'bomb experts' at the training camps, Karnataka SIT prepared sketches of the 'guest trainers,' and identified their possible locations through technical analysis, police sources said in 2018. 'Most of the pictures available for the missing suspects from the blast cases that occurred between 2006 and 2008 were very old. Portraits were created in March 2018 from descriptions provided by persons arrested in Karnataka, and this helped in finding one of the 'guest trainers,' said a police source. As many as three people linked to Sanatan Sanstha who were arrested in the Gauri Lankesh murder case, and four witnesses who attended these training camps described the presence of a 'bade babaji' and four other 'gurujis' at the camps, according to documents placed in court by the Karnataka Police in the Gauri Lankesh case. According to statements provided by these men, some of the trainers, like the 'bade babaji', dressed as monks. Each trainer had his own area of expertise, ranging from petrol bombs to sophisticated pipe bombs with electrical circuits. One of the several missing men named in the terror cases between 2006 and 2009, Suresh Nair, 45, who is linked to Abhinav Bharat and the 2007 Ajmer blast case, was arrested by the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) in the state's Bharuch in November 2018. Nair's arrest came after he was identified during the investigation into the Gauri Lankesh murder case by the Karnataka Police as one of four trainers who attended the weapons training camps. Suresh Nair was identified as the 'bade babaji' after his arrest in Gujarat. Nair's arrest, 11 years after he went into hiding, also suggested that the other unidentified trainers at the camps who came in the garb of 'babajis' could possibly be Sandeep Dange and Ramji Kalsangra. Based on the investigations through the sketches, there are suggestions that two of the mystery trainers who have not been identified or arrested may have been the missing Kalsangara and Dange, who may have attended the camps as trainers like their associate Suresh Nair. However, there were claims in Maharashtra in 2016 that the men were dead. Dange, a former RSS worker, is considered a bomb expert, has an Interpol red corner notice against him, and is on the most wanted list of the NIA along with Kalsangra and Amit Hakla. Dange and Kalsangara carry a Rs 10 lakh reward, and Amit alias Ashwini Chauhan carries a Rs 5 lakh reward on his head. Suresh Nair has been described in the Lankesh case documents as being present at camps in Jalna, and in Ahmedabad's Gujarat in 2015. Apart from Nair, one of the other 'external trainers' at the camps for the Sanatan Santha-linked recruits accused in the Gauri Lankesh murder case has been identified as Pratap Hazra, who is linked to the right-wing Bhavani Sena outfit in West Bengal. He was arrested by the Maharashtra ATS in 2020 in connection with the Nalasapora terror case. A chargesheet filed in November 2018 by a Special Investigation Team of the Karnataka Police, which investigated the Gauri Lankesh murder, contains statements by three accused and four witnesses regarding the weapons training camps. SIT has arrested 17 people linked to various fringe right-wing groups in connection with the murder of Gauri Lankesh, which was allegedly coordinated by those formerly associated with Sanatan Sanstha, an affiliate of the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti, which allegedly created a crime syndicate to target critics of Hindutva. In May this year, during the Gauri Lankesh case trial, one of the witnesses who had earlier informed a court that he attended training camps where outside experts also came, turned hostile and denied his earlier statements. The 37-year-old prosecution witness, who is involved in grassroots politics in Karnataka's Belagavi, was declared hostile by the state special public prosecutor after he denied all the statements he had made before a magistrate in September 2018. He denied recruiting and taking three people from Belagavi for a training camp in Maharashtra's Jalna around January 2015, where a Belagavi man, who is an accused in the August 30, 2015, murder of Prof M M Kalburgi in Dharwad, was also allegedly a participant. In 2018, the witness stated the presence of as many as four external trainers at some of the camps who were experts in the use of explosives and subversion tactics. The external trainers were only identified as 'Bade Mahatmaji', 'Chote Mahatmaji' or 'Bade Babaji', and 'Bhai Saab', and their real identities were not revealed, he stated. 'The members of this crime syndicate were continuously provided with various kinds of training in the making and usage of weapons and explosives at many places. Local members of the syndicate took up the responsibility of organising these training camps at the different locations,' the SIT stated in the chargesheet in the Gauri Lankesh murder case. Among those accused in the Gabri Lankesh murder and other murder and terror cases who attended the training camps with 'guest trainers' are allegedly Amit Degwekar, Virendra Tawade, Sharad Kalaskar, Shrikant Pangarkar, Vasudev Suryavanshi, Ganesh Miskin, Amit Baddi, Bharat Kurne, Sachin Andhure, and Praveen Chatur. The descriptions of the 'babajis' were provided in the course of the Lankesh case probe by three arrested men Shrikant Pangarkar, 40, a former Shiv Sena councillor from Maharashtra, Sharad Kalaskar, 26, the alleged shooter in the 2013 Narendra Dabholkar murder case, and Vasudev Suryavanshi, 29, a mechanic who allegedly stole motorcycles for the murders of four progressive thinkers between 2015 and 2017. Sharad Kalaskar, who attended training camps of the syndicate where 'guest trainers' were in attendance, was convicted last year in the murder of the Maharashtra rationalist Narendra Dabholkar in Pune. He provided details of the training camps he attended to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which investigated the Dabholkar murder case. One of the arrested men in the Bengaluru case has stated that he was told that the 'guest trainers' who were experts in making IEDs were members of the 'Aseemanand group' in a possible reference to former RSS worker Naba Kumar Sarkar alias Aseemanand, who was arrested in the blast cases of the 2006-2008 period and was acquitted in the Samjhauta Express, Mecca Masjid, and Ajmer cases. According to the case documents, the camps provided training to dozens of people recruited by a covert unit of the Sanatan Sanstha linked to the murders of the rationalist Dabholkar, leftist thinker Govind Pansare, Kannada scholar M M Kalburgi, and Gauri Lankesh. 'The members of this organisation targeted persons whom they identified as inimical to their beliefs and ideology. The members strictly followed the guidelines and principles mentioned in 'Kshatra Dharma Sadhana', a book published by Sanatan Sanstha,' the SIT said after it filed a 9,235-page chargesheet on November 23, 2018, in the Gauri Lankesh case. The missing Abhinav Bharat men who have been on the run since 2008 are believed to have been roped in to train Sanatan Sanstha-linked persons to make bombs when the ENT doctor and Sanatan Sanstha activist Virendra Tawade was running the covert group between 2011 and 2016. At some training camps — such as the one held in Belagavi in Karnataka in December 2014 — the training in making IEDs was provided by Amit Degwekar, a resident of the Sanatan Sanstha ashram in Goa, who has been arrested in the Gauri Lankesh case for providing logistical and financial support, the Lankesh case documents have indicated. Degwekar's roommate at the Sanatan Sanstha ashram, Malgonda Patil, was killed in the 2009 Goa blast while he was allegedly trying to plant a bomb to disrupt a Diwali celebration opposed by the Sanatan Sanstha.
Indian Express
28-07-2025
- Indian Express
Security forces recover huge arms cache from Manipur hills
Security forces have recovered a large cache of arms and ammunition in several hill districts of Manipur over the past few days, police said. According to police, the recovery was made during search operations in the interior parts of Churachandpur, Pherzawl, Kangpokpi, Chandel and Tengnounpal districts. As many as 155 weapons were recovered including 8 AK series rifles, two INSAS, a sniper rifle, eight 9 mm pistols, 21 single-barreled guns, among others. Along with the weapons, the security forces also recovered 39 Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), 13 hand grenades and over 1,600 assorted live ammunition, police said. 'These continued intelligence-led operations in the hill districts represent a major accomplishment for the Manipur Police, Assam Rifles and other security forces in their continued mission to restore peace, uphold public order, and safeguard the lives and property of citizens,' a senior police official said. ENS
Indian Express
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Mumbai police probe sender of hoax bomb emails with names of politicians, stars from South India
THE MUMBAI police are probing a series of hoax bomb threat emails sent by an unidentified person using names of politicians, actors and popular YouTubers from southern states. Police have received complaints regarding around nine such email threats, so far, which they suspect were sent by one person who uses several keywords like names of South Indian public figures and claim that RDX-based Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) being kept at popular places and government installations in and around Mumbai. The latest in the series of threats was received on Sunday by the BSE where the accused threatened that RDX had been kept inside the building. This particular email had been undersigned by the name 'Comrade Pinari Vijayan', referring to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. A BSE employee saw the email on Monday and alerted the authorities, following which the premises were checked and the threat was found to be a hoax. An FIR has been registered at the MRA Marg police station. An official from Mumbai police said that in the past the accused has used the names of actor Tamil Nadu Deputy CM and actor Udhayanidhi Stalin, YouTuber Subakku Shankar, IPS officer Jaffar Sait and Afzal Guru with some conspiracy theory along with a threat. ' The threat usually mentions that an RDX-linked Improvised Explosive Device (IED) device is placed somewhere. We suspect it is the same person who has been sending these threat mails. We have zeroed in on nearly nine keywords used in approximately 10 threat mails that have been received in the last few months,' the official said. The official added that in all these cases, the accused has used a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to send these emails due to which we have so far not been able to track him down. 'The frequency with which he uses South Indian celebrities and mentions conspiracy theories makes us suspect the accused hails from a southern state or it could be to mislead us,' the official said. The official added that they are still conducting a technical probe in the matter and will trace the accused. In May, the Palghar collector's office had received a threat mail about RDX based IED being kept there. The mail said that there the RDX had been kept by the same people who were planning to kill the Opposition leader in Tamil Nadu EK Palaniswami to ensure that the probe against former DMK functionary Jaffar Sadiq in a drug trafficking case is unsuccessful.
India Gazette
13-07-2025
- Sport
- India Gazette
Romeo Force of Indian Army organises Cricket Premier League in J-K's Poonch
Poonch (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], July 13 (ANI): NY 49 RR of Romeo Force of the Indian Army organised the Cricket Premier League (CPL) in Keri Kangra LOC Hilly Tarian in Poonch District to absorb the energy of local youths in sports activities on Sunday. The locals and Youths of the area appreciated the 49 RR of Romeo Force of the Indian Army for organising CPL, in the hilly Tarian ground to involve youth in sports. While speaking to ANI, Manavar Hussain Khan, BJP Mandal President, Balakot, said, 'A tournament was sponsored by the Indian Army 49 RR. This tournament was organised in collaboration with the civil society. On behalf of 49 RR, I would like to thank the CO and especially Major Utsav Kumar.' 'I hope that the way CO is standing shoulder to shoulder with us, we are also standing with them. For the youth, our message is to stay away from drugs. And the aim of our army is also the same, and everyone should stand with their country. Indian Army is such an army, whether it is fighting a war on the border or sponsoring such a big tournament here in the village is a very big thing,' he added. A Local from Poonch Khalid Mehmood Khan hailed Utsav Kumar for organising the tounament, 'We thank him [Utsav Kumar] from the bottom of our hearts. He organised a very good and heart-warming tournament here.' A local from Poonch, Taufiq Khan, said, '16 teams came here for this tournament. If there is a war atmosphere or if there is a local problem, we live on the LOC. The Indian Army has always been with us.' Earlier, A consignment of explosives, arms and ammunition was detected during the joint search operation launched by the Romeo Force of the Indian Army and the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the Jammu and Kashmir Police in Poonch district. According to officials, the explosives, arms and ammunition were dropped in the Khanater region by drone. The consignment includes six Chinese grenades, two Pakistan-made pistols, three magazines, one under-barrel grenade launcher, Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and a remote control. This comes after a joint search operation was carried out by the Romeo Force of the Indian Army and the Poonch SOG in the dense forests of Khanater Top. (ANI)
United News of India
12-07-2025
- United News of India
NIA arrests key conspirator in ISIS Pune sleeper module case
Pune July 12 (UNI) The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested a suspected terrorist associated with the Islamic State (ISIS) in connection with a planned terror conspiracy. NIA in a statement today said that the 11th accused Rizwan Ali, along with the 10 other accused, had conspired to commit a series of terror acts to destabilize the country and spread communal disharmony. The accused, Rizwan Ali, is known by multiple names Sami Ali, Abul Salina, and Danish, was apprehended from Lucknow. He is a resident of the Daryaganj area in Delhi. The arrest comes as part of an ongoing investigation into attempts to carry out terror attacks across major Indian cities including Pune and Mumbai. The case first surfaced in 2023 when two individuals were arrested in Pune's Kothrud area in connection with a motorcycle theft. During the probe, authorities discovered their involvement in a larger terror plot, including plans to launch attacks across the country. Further investigation revealed that the duo had been residing in the Kondhwa area of Pune. A police raid at their residence in Kondhwa led to the seizure of bomb-making materials and documents containing sensitive information related to key defence establishments of the city. Initially handled by the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), the case was later transferred to the NIA. Upon taking over the investigation, the NIA discovered the accused had links with ISIS operatives active in Pune, Mumbai, and Thane. It was also found that these individuals were trying to radicalize and recruit local youth into the terror network. A case was filed by the NIA against 11 suspects, including a doctor from Pune. Rizwan Ali had been on the run since the case was registered. He was actively involved in training others in the use of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and firearms. His arrest is considered a significant breakthrough in the Pune terror conspiracy case. In addition to Rizwan Ali, ten others have been named in the charge sheet filed under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). UNI SP AAB
