A special MCOCA court on Wednesday remanded Malegaon blast accused Dayanand Pandey to police custody till December 1, after Anti-Terrorism Squad officials said they wanted to questioning him regarding some data found on his laptop.
Pandey, who was arrested on November 14 from Uttar Pradesh, was produced before the MCOCA court after his police custody awarded by a Nashik court ended on Wednesday.
Special public prosecutor Rohini Salian while seeking additional police custody for Pandey told the court they had recovered from his laptop one video and two audio clips of meetings between the priest and other accused arrested in connection with the Malegaon blast.
The video recording shows Pandey with other arrested persons in the case like Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, army official Prasad Purohit and others talking about RDX, chemicals, hand grenades and training, Salian said.
The video also shows them talking about the Hindu community and right wing group Abhinav Bharat, she said.
Pandey, however, said he had attended three meetings as a 'dharmacharya' but was not involved in the Malegaon blast conspiracy as stated by the ATS.
"I have been in contact with these persons only as a 'dharmacharya' and have not committed any crime," Pandey told the court.
Investigators said they wanted to question Pandey in connection with the evidence found in his laptop and sought police custody which was granted by the court.
The ATS has arrested 11 people so far for their alleged involvement in the September 29 blast which killed six persons and injured over 80 others.
© 2024 Rediff.com -