Man from West Bengal arrested in Nallasopara arms haul case

The Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) of Maharashtra Police has arrested a man from West Bengal in the 2018 Nallasopara arms haul case and the 2017 Sunburn Festival attack conspiracy, an official said here on Thursday.

Pratap Judishtar Hajra alias Pratap Hajra was arrested from Nainapur in South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal on Monday with the help of Kolkata Police's Special Task Force, he said.

He was brought here and produced before a court which sent him in ATS' custody till January 30, the official said.

Hajra was absconding since the arrests of other accused in the Nallasopara arms haul case, he said.

Probe had revealed that it was Hajra who had given training to other accused in making of crude bombs, he said.

The ATS also found that some right-wing extremists were planning to carry out a terror attack during the Sunburn music festival held in Pune in December 2017. The attack, however, did not materialise.

According to the ATS, the conspirators were opposed to the Sunburn Festival because they thought it promoted 'western music and western culture'.

In August 2018, crude bombs, explosive materials, country-made pistols and weapons such as choppers were found during raids at Nallasopara near Mumbai and some other places in Maharashtra.

Those arrested in the case had links with right-wing outfits such as Sanatan Sanstha and wanted to establish a 'Hindu Rashtra', the ATS said in its charge sheet filed in December 2018.

The arrested men included Sharad Kalaskar, who was also, allegedly, one of the two assailants who shot dead rationalist and anti-superstition activist Narendra Dabholkar in Pune in 2013.