Statements regarding the bike used in the blasts aroused police suspicion
It was the changing statements of Sadhvi Pragyasingh Chandrapalsingh Thakur alias Purnachetanand Giri, 38, that eventually led to her arrest by the anti-terrorist squad (ATS) of the Maharashtra Police in the Malegaon and Modasa blasts.
The bike on which the explosives were planted in Malegaon helped the ATS to crack the case and led to the arrest of Thakur and two others. The LML Freedom bike found at the site belonged to Thakur, who was then picked up for questioning.
When she was first questioned about the bike, Thakur told the police that it had been stolen, but she had neglected to lodge a complaint. Later, she said she had sold it to Ramji Kalsangra, another suspect in the Malegaon case. On being questioned a third time, she said she had lent the bike to Kalsangra.
Kalsangra, a resident of Indore, is a member of the Jai Vande Mataram Jan Kalyan Samiti (JVMJKS), which was started by Thakur in 2002.
When the bike was found at the blast site, its chassis and engine number were found to have been tampered. But forensic experts traced the original engine and chassis number, which led the police to Thakur.
Earlier this year, Thakur started another group called the Rashtriya Jagran Manch in Indore. On Saturday, the sadhvi was reportedly taken to the JJ Hospitals in Mumbai after complaining of fever and chills. She was later returned to ATS custody.
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