Malegaon blast: Police custody of accused extended

Mumbai: A special NIA court today extended the police custody of three accused arrested in connection with the Malegoan 2006 blast case.

The court extended the custody of Dhan Singh and Rajendra Chaudhary, who are also key accused in the 2007 Samjautha Express blast case, till January 30, while another accused Manohar Singh was remanded to custody till January 24.

Children injured in the Malegaon blast. AFP.

Multiple bomb explosions in Malegaon, a communally sensitive powerloom town in Nashik district, about 200 kms from here, near a mosque on September 8, 2006 had claimed 37 lives and injured over 100.

After the explosion, the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) had arrested nine suspects, all of whom were granted bail on November 5.

The probe was later transferred to NIA (National Investigation Agency) which arrested the main accused recently. In November last year, NIA had told the court that the confession of Swami Aseemanand, arrested in the 2007 blast at
Hyderabad's Mecca Masjid, pointed to the alleged involvement of a right wing group in the Malegaon attack.

Malegaon had seen another terror act in 2008 allegedly by right wing Hindu groups and Sadhvi Pragya Singh and former Lt Col Srikant Purohit were arrested in connection with it.

PTI