Ghatkopar man, suspected to be a bomb-maker, held

MUMBAI: The state Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) late on Friday evening made the fifth arrest in the blasts plot case which it said it unearthed in Nalasopara earlier this month. It picked up Avinash Pawar alias Ajit Dada, a 30-year-old fitter working with the Mazagon Dock, from his Ghatkopar house, making him the first of the five to be held from Mumbai.

Pawar is suspected to be a bomb-maker and, like the four others, has been booked for association with a terror group and planning blasts in Satara, Pune, Solapur, Mumbai and Nalasopara.





Pawar was produced before a court on Saturday and remanded in police custody till August 31.

The ATS, while seeking police custody, stated in the remand papers that it needed to find out whether Pawar had undergone training in making crude bombs and operating firearms. The police seized a CPU from his office, two mobile phones from him and three other mobile phones from his residence, where he lives with his mother and grandmother.

The case came to light after Vaibhav Raut of Nalasopara and two others were arrested on August 9. Former Shiv Sena corporator from Jalna Shrikant Pangarkar was held thereafter.

Apart from explosives and firearms, police have in this case also seized an Innova car from Nalasopara suspected to be used in transporting the arms from one place to another. However, the ATS has been tight-lipped about the terror suspects' targets.

Locals in Bhatwadi, Ghatkopar (W), told TOI that Pawar was a disciplined and cheerful man who could not have terror links. One neighbour said, "He could not have any connection with any terror case. He is a man who would believe in bhakti (devotion) and participate in all our fesitivals with the other youths."

Another neighbour said Pawar's father used to work with the Mazagon Dock. However, he stopped working after he developed gangrene and lost his leg. "Pawar was in Class 10 when his father died in 2003. After the father's death, he started selling various items at railway stations and in other places. He would leave home at 5am and return at night. He continued his studies and completed Class 12. Later, he did a diploma and applied for a job in the docks and was selected," the neighbour said.

One more neighbour said Pawar is the sole breadwinner in his family, though his grandmother washes utensils to earn some money and his mother too does odd jobs to support the family. "He is unmarried and struggles every day. He has never been known to skip office and his behaviour in the area has been very good. We don't agree with the police that he could be involved in any criminal activity," the neighbour added.

Another neighbour said that policemen in mufti had brought Pawar to his residence at around 3.30pm on Friday. "Around 10 cops, including two women personnel, arrived in groups of twos and threes. They did not carry any search warrant. They were inside Pawar's house for an hour and then took him along with them," said the neighbour.