2008 Malegaon blast case: Another witness turns hostile, 30 so far
Mumbai, Mar 23: A real estate agent on Thursday became the 30th witness to turn hostile in the 2008 Malegaon blast case in which Bharatiya Janata Party MP Pragya Thakur is among the accused.
The witness had been recruited as secret informer by Lt Colonel Prasad Purohit, one of the accused in the case.
As per the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), which initially probed the case, the witness had given it a statement in 2008.
But during the deposition before the court, the witness said he did not recollect giving any statement to the probe agency, following which the court declared him as hostile.
As per the prosecution, he is the 30th witness to turn hostile in the case.
The prosecution had claimed that the witness had told the ATS that he met Purohit through a common acquaintance and they kept in touch.
Later, Purhohit recruited him for gathering information for the military intelligence and also gave him an identity card, as per the ATS.
Purohit spoke about spreading the Hindutva ideology and told him that he was working on building an organization on those lines, the ATS had quoted the witness as saying.
The witness had also attended a meeting of the secret organization Abhinav Bharat in Pune where other accused were also present, the statement claimed.
The witness, however, recognised only Purohit in the court on Thursday and not any of other accused.
Six people were killed and over 100 injured on September 29, 2008, when an explosive device strapped to a motorcycle went off near a mosque in Malegaon town in north Maharashtra, some 200 km from Mumbai.
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Accused in Panambur Beach murder case arrested from Chombala near Kozhikode
Mangaluru: Mangaluru police have arrested a 50-year-old man from Kozhikode, Kerala, in connection with the murder of a 39-year-old man near Panambur Beach in Mangaluru. The accused, identified as Dharmaraj Suvarna, a resident of Thotabengre in Mangaluru, was arrested on Thursday night by a team of officers from the Panambur Police Station.
The victim, Muttu Basavaraj Vaddar, also known as Mudukappa, hailed from Amingada in Bagalkot. He had reportedly been on friendly terms with Suvarna. According to the police, the incident that led to the murder began over a dispute involving a mobile phone. Suvarna had recently purchased a new phone, which was borrowed by Mudukappa. Mudukappa allegedly damaged the device and did not return it, leading to escalating tensions between the two men.
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On Sunday, the disagreement culminated in a violent altercation, during which Suvarna allegedly struck Mudukappa with a wooden log, resulting in his death. Mudukappa's body was later discovered near the shore at Thotabengre estuary, raising concerns among local residents.
Following the discovery of the body, the Panambur Police registered a case and launched an investigation. Acting on credible information about Suvarna's whereabouts, the police team tracked him to Chombala in Kozhikode. The operation, carried out within the Chombala Police Station limits, led to Suvarna's arrest late at night.
