CBI gets court nod to interrogate Dayanand Pandey

Mumbai, Mar 14: Two months after the CBI decided to "reopen and reinvestigate" the Malegaon 2006 blast case, the special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court today granted permission to the investigating agency to interrogate Dayanand Pandey (41), an accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case.

Pandey alias Sudhakar Udhayban Dwivedi alias Swami Amritanand Dev was arrested on Nov 12, 2008 and is accused of criminal conspiracy, participating meetings and of having asked another accused Lt. Col. Prasad Purohit to arrange for RDX for the blast.

The CBI had sought to reinvestigate the 2006 Malegaon blast case in the wake of Swami Aseemanand's confession.

Aseemanand, who was arrested in Nov last year for his alleged role in the 2007 Mecca Masjid blasts, in his confession recorded before the magistrate in Jan, had said that a right-wing group was responsible for the Malegaon 2006 blasts.

The Anti-Terrorism Squad of the Maharashtra police which had earlier investigated the case had arrested nine persons - Salman Farsi, Shabir Ahmed, Noorulhuda Doha, Rais Ahmed, Mohammed Ali, Asif Khan, Javed Sheikh, Dr Faroogue Ansari and Abrar Ahmed for their alleged involvement in the blast.

Blasts took place near the Hamidia Mosque in the Bada Kabristanat around 1.15 pm on Sep 8, 2006, killing 37 people and injuring over 100.

PTI