The Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad has arrested one person wanted in connection with the 2018 Nallasopara arms haul. The accused, who was held in West Bengal, is also alleged to be part of the group that had planned to target the Sunburn 2017 festival in Pune.
The ATS had in 2018 seized a large amount of guns, ammunition and other arsenal, including crude bombs, from members of right wing groups like the Sanatan Sanstha in multiple raids, which began with Nallasopara in the Thane district and expanded to Solapur, Satara and Sangli. The agency arrested 12 people in August 2018 and filed a charge sheet in December 2018.
ATS officers said Judhishtar Hajra (34), arrested on Wednesday, was on the run after the raids began in 2018.
“We were on the lookout for him after his name cropped up in the interrogation of the other accused. Earlier this month, we received a tip-off saying he was hiding in his native West Bengal. We sent a team to verify the information and on Wednesday picked him up in Kolkata with the help of the local police,” an ATS officer said.
The officer said he has been brought to Mumbai and produced before a local court which remanded him in police custody till January 30.
The ATS has already arrested and chargesheeted Sharad Kalaskar (25), Vaibhav Raut (44), Sudhanwa Gondhlekar (39), Shrikant Pangarkar (40), Avinash Pawar (30), Leeladhar Ukhirde (32), Vasudeo Suryawanshi (19), Suchit Rangswamy (37), Bharat Kurne (37), Amol Kale (34), Amit Baddi (27) and Ganesh Miskin (28) in the case, charging them under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
The ATS had, in August, seized 23 live country-made bombs, 15 pistols, a country-made gun, a partially completed country-made weapon, three pistols without barrels, ten pistol barrels, six pistol magazines, three partially made pistol magazines, seven pistol slides, 41 live rounds of ammunition, 26 electric and non-electric detonators and other raw-material used for making more guns and bombs.
