The investigations into the Malegaon blasts are inching towards a close following the nabbing of Abhinav Bharat and the Sri Ram Sena member Praveen Muthalik by the Anti-Terrorist Squad.
Initial reports of Muthalik's interrogation make it clear that he was the man who helped with the logistics and was one among the three who planted the bombs at Malegaon.
He had been hiding in Nepal for some time now. The intelligence agencies had kept a track on his phone calls at all times. It was only recently that he came down to Karnataka from where he was picked up.
Muthalik hails from Gokak in Karnataka and his name had cropped up first during the interrogation of Colonel Shrikant Purohit, who has also been arrested for his role in the Malegaon blasts.
Muthalik's name also found a mention in the interrogation of Dayanand Pandey, a self-styled godman also wanted in the same case.
If one notices the manner in which the Abhinav Bharat went about its activities, there is a shocking resemblance to the operations of the Students Islamic Movement of India.
The outfit replicated SIMI's modus operandi to ensure that they do not get caught.
Investigators point out that Col Purohit, who was part of military intelligence, had a lot of information on him regarding the manner in which the SIMI operated and used the same modus operandi to carry out activities of the Abhinav Bharat.
The manner in which they created modules, prepared bombs and set up hide outs were used to divert the investigators' trail to the SIMI.
Investigations related to Muthalik reveal that he along with Sameer Dange and Ramji Kalasanghra carried out the Malegaon blasts at the insistence of both Purohith and Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur.
The Central Bureau of Investigation, meanwhile, is getting ready to quiz him on the role he played in the Mecca Masjid blasts. The more important aspect, however, is that investigators suspect that these men may have hidden away some explosives.
