5 arrested in Goa blast have allegiance with Sanatan Sanstha

The latest arrest of Dhananjay Ashtekar(20), an Electronic Engineering student from Khed in Ratnagiri is also associated with Sanatan Sanstha's activities. He was arrested on Wednesday evening by state police's Special Investigation Team (SIT), which is mandated to probe the blast.

"He is related to Sanstha and has made it clear during his interrogation," said Superintendent of Police and spokesperson for Goa police department Atmaram Deshpande .

Ashtekar was studying in an engineering college at Ichalkaranji, a town in Maharashtra. Deshpande said that the youth was being interrogated over blast case and only when there was sufficient material on record to prove his involvement, he was placed under arrest.

Ashtekar is the fifth Sanatan Sanstha activist found to be linked with the blast conspiracy which went awry on the eve of Diwali.

Earlier two accused, Malgonda Patil and Yogesh Naik, who died in the Margao blast and two arrested persons, Vinayak Patil and Vinay Talekar, have confessed their links to Sanstha, which operates through its Ashram at Ramnathi.

Deshpande had earlier said that the Sanstha is under scanner as its activists are part of the blast conspiracy. The police have, however, refused to move for a ban against Sanstha as there are no enough evidence to rope in it for the conspiracy.

The Margao blast took place on October 16 killing two persons.