MARGAO, AUG 5
Margao bomb blast accused Prashant Juvekar, who was arrested by the Maharashtra ATS three days ago, was brought to Goa on a transfer warrant for investigations in the blast case.
Sleuths of the Maharashtra police from Nashik escorted the accused to the Margao police headquarters before he was handed over to the National Investigating Agency (NIA) probing into the bomb blast case.
Sources in the NIA said the accused would be produced before the Sessions Court on Friday for remand. Under the NIA Act, the investigating agency can seek custody of the accused for a period of 180 days.
The accused was brought to Margao by road under heavy police protection. The police were armed with machine guns as he was led to the NIA office located on the first floor of the Margao police headquarters.
Sources in the NIA said the accused will be referred to medical examination late on Wednesday night after his formal arrest in the case.
Prashant Juvekar is the sixth accused who has come under the NIA dragnet since the bomb blast incident occurred in the Commercial Capital on the eve of Diwali last year.
Two of the accused, Malgonda Patil and Yogesh Naik had died in the bomb blast, while the police have so far arrested Vinay Talekar, Vinayak Patil, Dhananjay Ashtekar, Dilip Mangaonkar and Prashant Ashtekar in the case. The last named accused had surrendered to the Sessions Court before his arrest.
Accused Sarang Kulkarni, Jay Prakash and Rudra Patil are still at large. All the 11 accused have been charged for waging war against the State and under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Explosives Substance Act.
The indictment has charged the accused of conducting the first test of the IED at a hillock at Talaulim-Ponda behind the house of Laxmikant Naik, brother of deceased Yogesh Naik in the last week of August 2009.
The IED was tested behind the house of Laxmikant Naik in the presence of accused Malgonda Patil, Yogesh Naik, Vinay Talekar, Dhananjay Ashtekar, Prashant Juvekar, Sarang Kulkarni, Jay Prakash and Rudra Patil.
