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Sun, sand and terror in Goa |
| By: Team MiD DAY | | Date:
2010-08-03 | | Place: Goa | |
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Hindu group member's arrest draws attention to coastal state's emergence on the radar of terror outfits
On Goa's sun-kissed beaches, a quiet storm is brewing as the coastal state is soon becoming a hub for terror activities.
This is what Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) officials said after the confession made by a member of Hindu right-wing group, Sanathan Sanstha. Prashant Juvekar was arrested from Bhusawal on July 31.
 | | SAFE HAVEN NO MORE? Goa, known for its sun-kissed beaches, now has terror lurking on every corner. Representation pic |
The Nashik court has remanded him in police custody till August 3. Juvekar was arrested for his alleged involvement in an explosion that took place in Margao, south Goa, in October 2009.
Juvekar, a resident of Devruk village in Ratnagiri district, was trained at the Margao residence of one of the three absconders. The training in arms and bombs imparted to the accused was conducted in a hilly, desolate area.
The police said that after the blast, Juvekar had gone into hiding in Bihar's Bhagua district before entering Bhusawal. The ATS team had been trailing Juvekar for a few weeks before his Saturday arrest.
Absconding
"Juvekar, a Sanathan Sanstha member, was among the four absconding in the Goa blast case. We are on the lookout for the other three," said ATS chief Rakesh Maria.
Juvekar's confession has also thrown light on how Goa is slowly being transformed into another training centre where 11 persons who were part of the Goa blast conspiracy were given training on how to carry out the blast.
In earlier instances of Hindu right-wing terror activities, bombs had been made in Nanded and Nashik and in Sinhagad in Pune in 2005. Now, the assembling of bombs and related training happens in Goa, said sources.
"This is a shocking development," said a senior ATS officer. "Training camps have been conducted in Goa, although on a smaller scale. As for terrorism by Hindu right- wing activists, camps have been held at different places in Maharashtra and the spread to Goa is cause for concern."
"What's more, the accused in Goa have absolutely no links with those trained in Sinhagad or Nashik," the officer said. "The people owing allegiance to Sanathan Sanstha have formed a new unit altogether. It's not the same as the earlier outfit named in the Malegaon blast, which was Abhinav Bharat."
"There are a number of Hindu outfits and people who have got into bomb-making and carrying out of blasts though they are not trained to make bombs of high quality," he added. (Inputs by J Dey, Ketan Ranga and Vikas Mishra)
| Cross-border terrorism | Terror outfit al-Qaeda has had Goa on its radar with the aim of triggering panic among foreign tourists visiting the state, especially on New Year's eve and the Carnival held in February, documents available with MiD DAY indicate.
Pakistani's Inter Services Intelligence has also planned an attack on Goa in a bid to target the Indian economy by keeping tourists away from the popular holiday spot.
In the wake of such threats, the Goa police had stepped up security measures in the past few months. Combing operations at hotels and shacks are being regularly conducted to ensure terror operatives are not building a base there.
The Goa government has received vital intelligence about al-Qaeda operatives being holed up in the state. An arrested terrorist has allegedly disclosed that some militants have already surveyed an island in Goa and efforts are on to gain the confidence of local contacts. | |
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