Mumbai: ATS confiscates explosives from Sanatan Sansthan officer Vaibhav Raut's home, investigation underway
Mumbai Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has recovered at least eight country-made bombs from the house of a man related to Sanatan Sansthan in Nala Sopara. The squad also recovered raw material to make explosives from a nearby shop.
According to sources, the raw material found at the shop includes large quantity gun powder and detonators, enough to make two dozen bombs.
The investigators are now looking at the source of these explosives and how Raut intended to use them.
Sources say that ATS team had been keeping a vigil on him fo some days and raided his house along with forensics team and dog squad late on Thursday night. The search operation is still on.
The ATS has arrested Vaibhav Raut and will present him before the Bhoiwada Court in Mumbai later this afternoon after the proper paperwork.
Meanwhile, Raut's lawyer Sanjiv Punalekar said that the ATS has not informed him about his client's arrest. "Anti-Terrorism Squad has not intimidated us about arrest of Vaibhav Raut. Wonder what kind of law is being followed in this country and in Maharashtra. We'll take all legal steps," Punalekar told ANI on Friday morning.
Sanatan Santhan was founded in 1999 by Jayant Balaji Athavale. Persons owing allegiance to Sanatan Sanstha have been arrested in four bombings in Vashi, Thane, Panvel (all in 2007) and Goa (in 2009) and in the murders of Narendra Dabholkar (in 2013), Govind Pansare and MM Kalburgi (both in 2015).
However, in December 2015 Minister of State for Home informed in Rajya Sabha that, no links could be found among the murders of Narendra Dabholkar, Govind Pansare and MM Kalburgi. Dabholkar's family is claiming the link between the three murders and requesting court to club the cases. However, Central Bureau of Investigation have informed High Court that it is waiting for the ballistic report from Scotland Yard to link all three cases.
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