Pansare case: CID quizzes Sanatan Sanstha founder about 2 key

Maharashtra CID's special investigating team which is probing the murder of rationalist Govind Pansare has questioned Sanatan Sanstha founder Jayant Athavale and four others regarding the whereabouts of the two wanted accused in the case, a senior official said.
The SIT was at Sanatan Sanstha's ashram at Ramnathi in Goa for two days, where it questioned the trustees and members of the right-wing Hindu organisation. The team sought information about Vinay Pawar and Sarang Akolkar, two asconding accused in the Pansare murder case.
"The SIT of state Crime Investigation Department (CID) was at the headquarters of Sanatan Sanstha at Ramnathi in Goa for two days, where they questioned five prominent members, including trustees of Sanstha," the official said.

Besides Athavale, the SIT questioned the Sanatan Prabhat periodical group's former editor Durgesh Samant, trustee Virendra Marathe, Pandurang Marathe and one more person, the official said.
"We questioned them regarding the whereabouts of Vinay Pawar and Sarang Akolkar, who are key accused in the Pansare murder case," Additional Director General of Police and CID Chief Sanjay Kumar said.
Pawar and Akolkar are also wanted in connection with the murder of rationalist Dr Narendra Dabholkar. Both Akolkar (35) and Pawar (37) were members of the Sanatan Sanstha.

Akolkar, who hails from Pune, is an electronics engineer. He has been on the run ever since his name cropped up during the probe of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in the Goa blast case. The NIA had secured an Interpol Red Corner Notice against him in 2012 but the security agencies are yet to track him down.

Pawar, a resident of Miraj in Sangli district of western Maharashtra, also has been untraceable for the last seven years.
Govind Pansare, a CPI leader and well-known rationalist, was shot dead outside his house in Kolhapur in February 2015.
The SIT had earlier arrested Samir Gaikwad, a Sanatan Sanstha 'disciple', in the case.
Yesterday, the CBI announced a cash reward of Rs five lakh for giving credible information on each of the two absconding accused- Akolkar and Pawar- in Dabholkar murder case.
Dabholkar was gunned down by two motorcycle-borne persons on August 20, 2013 near Omkareshwar temple in Pune when he was going for a morning walk.