‘Swami Aseemanand sheltered Best Bakery accused on the run’

The two are also accused in the Best Bakery case and are at present in the remand of Rajasthan Police till November 9.

Solanki and Vasani had been evading arrest since the Best Bakery case was shifted to Mumbai.

Reliable sources in Rajasthan ATS said the two were given shelter by Swami Aseemanand in his Sabridham ashram in the Dangs while they were on the run.

They said the duo stayed there for months and Swami even made sure they were updated about police searches in their areas.

Swami Aseemanand wields considerable clout among tribals in the Dangs district and is known to be actively involved in reconversion activities.

Aseemanand had himself gone underground when his name cropped up during interrogation of Sadhvi Pragya Thakor,who was arrested by the Mumbai ATS for her alleged role in the Malegaon blasts.

Modasa blast: Search on for two Vadodara youths
In a breakthrough in the investigations into the 2008 Modasa blast,the National Investigating Agency (NIA) have identified two youths from Vadodara who they suspect were involved in carrying out the blast.

According to sources in the NIA,the motorbike used in the blast was stolen from Surat and taken to Vadodara where the original chassis number was erased in a workshop. A low-intensity bomb with a timer was later fitted in the motorbike and the two youths allegedly drove it to Modasa.

They parked the motorbike outside Sukha Bazaar Mosque on September 29,2008,according to the sources. In the blast,a 15-year-old was killed and 10 others were injured.

The two youths hail from Waghodia area in Vadodara and the NIA is now searching for them. Officials have also questioned a few others in Vadodara.