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Goa bomb blast: NIA quizzes Sanatan Sanstha chief

April 11, 2010 20:51 IST

Almost six months after the Goa bomb blast, the National Investigation Agency questioned the chief of the right-wing group linked to the explosion, in which two persons were killed, and also raided his ashram.

Jayant Athavale, chief of Sanatan Sanstha, was quizzed oN Saturday by sleuths of the Central agency at his residence in Ramnathi Ashram, 30km from Panaji. "An NIA team quizzed Sanatan Sanstha's founder Dr Jayant Athavale in his residential quarters," Sanatan Prabhat, the outfit's mouthpiece claimed on Sunday. Though no NIA official was available for confirmation, sources in the Central agency said the team was accompanied by Dhananjay Ashtekar, one of the four accused arrested in the case.

The sanstha's managing trustee Virendra Marathe was also quizzed. The agency personnel also raided the ashram and seized a few items, including CDs. The ashram's computers was checked by experts, who accompanied the team during the raid on Saturday, they said. The sanstha came under police scanner after the blast in Margao on October 16, 2009.

Investigations led to the arrest of four persons, all owing allegiance to the hitherto unknown outfit.The police had claimed to have unearthed a conspiracy to execute serial bomb blasts in the state. The investigation was handed over to NIA as the conspiracy was spread across two other states - Maharashtra and Karnataka. The outfit has denied any role in the blast.

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