Local people prevented the police from reaching the site immediately after the blast and it could have been done to shield the accused, said Thakur's lawyer, advocate JP Mishra.
Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera said the arrest of Kurulkar is a "very serious matter" and alleged that it exposes the "anti-national face" of the RSS.
The Maharashtra police's Anti-Terrorism Squad on Tuesday obtained transit remand of a Lashkar-e-Tayiba militant, who had been arrested in connection with the attack on a Central Reserve Police Force camp in Rampur in Uttar Pradesh, to investigate his links with the terror attack on Mumbai last week.Special Judge (Gangster Act) Mohammad Hussain granted the transit remand of Sabahuddin on an application moved by a Maharashtra ATS team.
The voluminous chargesheet filed by the Anti-Terrorism Squad of Maharashtra Police has clearly stated that Rakesh Dattatraya Dhawade, one of the accused in the Malegaon case, had made arrangements and facilitated training to the accused persons in the Nanded bomb blasts in 2006. Six people were killed in the Malegaon explosions while the Nanded blasts claimed the lives of two persons.
Maharashtra's Anti-Terrorism Squad chief Rakesh Maria and six senior Indian Police Service officers will face a Central Bureau of Investigation probe for allegedly shielding a fellow police official, who was accused of clearing his law exam, without appearing for practical exam, the Bombay high court ordered on Monday.
Shahrukh Saifi was apprehended from Ratnagiri in Maharashtra by the Anti-Terrorism Squad.
Maharashtra government on Thursday appointed senior Indian Police Service officer K P Raghuvanshi as the chief of Anti-Terrorism Squad hours after the Bombay High Court pulled up the authorities over the crucial body remaining headless since the killing of Hemant Karkare in terror attacks in Mumbai last November.
Two more terror suspects, who are the associates of the gang of trio which had on Monday exchanged fire with the Anti-Terrorism Squad in Aurangabad, were arrested from Maharashtra's Buldhana district, police said on Tuesday.
A local court in Nashik on Tuesday extended the police custody of alleged Lashkar-e-Tayiba operative Shaikh Lalbaba Mohammed Hussain alias Bilal, nabbed by Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad in Nashik last week.
Maharashtra Director General of Police Sanjay Pandey has posted a message on his Facebook page about two posts of superintendents in the Anti-Terrorism Squad lying vacant, and invited aspirants to approach the department or contact him through the social media.
A Maharashtra ATS team, involved in Pune explosion probe, is in the Andhra Pradesh capital to coordinate with investigators probing the Hyderabad twin blasts, which is suspected to be the handiwork of Indian Mujahideen.
Three security establishments in Nashik including army's Deolali camp were recceed by arrested Lashkar-e-Tayiba terror suspect Shaikh Lalbaba Mohammed Hussain for a Lahore Police Academy-type attack, Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad said on Monday.
The Union home ministry on Tuesday acknowledged there was a lack of coordination between the Delhi police and the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad in the probe into the July 13, 2011 serial blasts in Mumbai but downplayed the rift between them.
A 35-year-old man, suspected to have Maoists links and wanted by West Bengal police, has been arrested from his hideout in Mumbai, Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad said on Tuesday.
The IP (internet protocol) address of the sender has been traced to Pakistan, said the official.
The Maharashtra ATS should wait for its turn as Jundal's arrest was coordinated by the Delhi police, RAW and the Intelligence Bureau, says Vicky Nanjappa
Maharashtra's Anti-Terrorism Squad is grappling with a severe manpower crunch with 283 posts of the total 732 lying vacant, two-and-a-half years after a panel set up to probe state police's response to the Mumbai attacks recommended streamlining the force.
Vernon Gonsalves, who spent nearly six years in jail after being labelled a Naxalite by the security agencies, recounts in detail his arrest, the case against him and his future plans in an exclusive interview.
The Anti-Terrorism Squad of the Maharashtra police on Wednesday told the special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act court in Mumbai that the Lashkar-e-Tayiba operative and a key 26/11 handler Sayed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal was involved in terror activities since as far back as 1996.
Shukla, incidentally, was accused of tapping phones of some political leaders while she was chief of the state intelligence department in Maharashtra.
The Maharashtra police has identified the culprits of the February 13 terror attack on the German Bakery in Pune, said Maharashtra Home Minister R R Patil on Tuesday.
The Maharashtra government, reeling under criticism over handling of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, has received another jolt with the widow of former Anti-Terrorism Squad chief Hemant Karkare saying the state police force is ill-equipped to fight terrorists.
The Anti-Terrorism Squad of the Maharashtra police on Saturday filed a supplementary chargesheet against alleged Lashkar-e-Tayiba operative and 26/11 Mumbai attack handler Sayed Zabiuddin Ansari, alias Abu Jundal, in connection with the 2006 Aurangabad arms haul case. "We have filed a 3,650-page chargesheet against Jundal, and named him as an key accused," said an ATS official.
The bail plea of nine persons accused in the 2006 Malegaon blasts has been rejected by a special MCOCA court in Mumbai on Tuesday. The nine accused had moved the special MCOCA court in February seeking bail on the basis of the confessional statement of Swami Aseemanand, a key accused in the Samjhauta Express blasts case. Aseemanand had alleged that right-wing groups were involved in the 2006 bombings.The anti-terrorism squad of the Maharashtra police had investigated the case
A special court on Thursday said the application of provisions of the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act in the Malegaon blast case by the Maharashtra police was valid.After perusing the chargesheet, special MCOCA judge Y D Shinde said prima facie there was evidence to invoke MCOCA in the case.The over 4,000-page chargesheet had been filed by the ATS against 14 accused in the case charging them under MCOCA.
This is what a defiant and talkative Abu Jundal, the Lashkar-e-Tayiba operative and key 26/11 handler who is in the custody of the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad told his interrogators. Vicky Nanjappa reports.
Kurulkar and 'Zara Dasgupta' were in contact through WhatsApp as well as voice and video calls, the chargesheet said.
A special court in Mumbai on Friday extended the police custody of the Lashkar-e-Tayiba operative and key 26/11 handler Sayed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal till September 3 in connection with the 2006 Aurangabad arms haul case.
In a twist, the widow of the senior police official with Maharashtra Anti- Terrorism Squad husband did not commit suicide, but he accidentally triggered the firearm that led to his death, police said on Thursday.
A special court on Tuesday allowed Anti-Terrorism Squad of Maharashtra police to subject suspected Lashkar-e-Tayiba operative Mohammed Aslam alias Saleem to scientific tests to find out his role in the 2006 Aurangabad arms haul case.
26/11 handler Abu Jundal has been in custody of the Delhi police's special cell since June 21, but insiders say that his 'real' interrogation is yet to begin. Vicky Nanjappa reports
Looking for clues to Wednesday's serial blasts, Maharashtra's Anti-Terrorism Squad has fanned out teams to various locations across the country and prepared a sketch of the suspect based on eyewitness accounts.
A Mumbai court on Thursday extended the police custody of two suspected Indian Mujahideen operatives, arrested in connection with July 13 triple blasts, till February 10 after Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad sought to probe into the source of explosive materials and possible future terror targets.
Working in perfect coordination, the Delhi police, the National Investigation Agency and the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad have managed to crack the Pune blasts case. They have also busted a major module of the Indian Mujahideen and arrested three suspects -- Asad from Aurangabad, Imran Khan from Nanded and Sayeed from Pune. Four kg of explosives, eight detonators and nine volt batteries were found to be in possession of the arrested accused.
Amid reports that Pakistan may seek extradition of Malegaon blast accused Lieuteant Colonel Shrikant Purohit in the Samjhauta Express blast case, India on Tuesday virtually rejected the demand, saying Islamabad had no locus standi in the investigations involving the Army officer."The case (Malegaon blast) is under examination by the Anti-Terror Squad (of Maharashtra Police). It is our internal matter. We are investigating it. How can Pakistan be concerned with that,"he said.
'When there is a spontaneous movement against the State, it is easily crushed. But it is difficult to crush a guided movement because it has the support of activists and social workers'
The Delhi police claims Ejaz Sheikh handed over ammunition for the German Bakery blasts to Yasin Bhatkal. In reality, Shaikh never knew Bhatkal.
Toral Varia Deshpande brings you the details of how rivalry between India's two of the most recognised agencies, the Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad and the Special Cell of Delhi Police, has cost India one it's most wanted terrorist and 13/7 Mumbai serial blasts mastermind -- Yasin Ahmad Siddibappa alias Yasin Bhatkal.
The court passed the order after the Member of Parliament from Bhopal, a prime accused in the case, sought another exemption from appearance citing health problems.
Former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh on Sunday confirmed that the sensational letter to Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray was sent from his email-id.