New Delhi, Saturday 15 November 2008: Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Purohit, the first serving Indian Army officer to be held in a terror-related case, has been remanded to police custody till November 18.

The public prosecutor has said that Purohit is the mastermind of Malegaon blast and even sourced RDX used for Samjhauta Express blast of 2007.

During his narco-analysis test in Bangalore last week, Lt Colonel Purohit had confessed to his role in the Malegaon blast.

Earlier, sources told that Purohit confessed that he wanted to take revenge against a particular community. These tests, though not admissible in court, could throw up vital clues for investigators.

Purohit revealed that Sadhvi Pragya Thakur and Swami Dayanand Pandey, who are now under arrest, were also involved in planning the attack. Purohit met the sadhvi through Pandey.

He also said that Pandey was also involved in the Ajmer and Nanded blasts where more than 500 people were trained to carry out the attacks.

While narco-analysis tests are not admissible as evidence in a court of law, some of what Purohit said about the role of Dayanand Pandey has been corroborated by the ATS in court.

Pandey is now emerging as a key link as the ATS told the court that Pandey fixed the meeting between Purohit and Ramji Kalsangra. The ATS also said that Pandey told Purohit to arrange for explosives and received money from Abhinav Bharat treasurer.

The revelations could help piece together the Malegaon puzzle. However, it will have to be backed by hard evidence in court.
(Agency)