Sources said that the ATS had also learnt from Dhavde that there were over 54 participants in this training camp, a list of which was allegedly stored on Purohit’s laptop which the ATS is yet to find.

Dhavde allegedly told the police that Ajay Rahirkar, who has also been arrested, in his capacity as a treasurer transferred funds to various members of Abhinav Bharat.

The police have unearthed transactions of Rs 95,000 between Rahirkar and retired Major Ramesh Upadhay, Rs 1.95 lakh given to Sameer Kulkarni, and Rs 3.2 lakh to Dhavde.

“Prasad Purohit had asked Rahirkar to distribute over Rs 5 lakh to some other people. There is also an angadia (courier) transaction of Rs 3,98,500 which came to Purohit and needs to be probed. A hawala transaction of Rs 10,73,200 is also under the scanner with the ATS trying to find the source,” added Misar. “There are many other accounts where huge amounts have been deposited.”

Seeking custody of Rahirkar and Dhavde, Misar said, “We need them for a confrontation with Purohit. Rahirkar was present in the house of one Shyam Apte along with Purohit at a meeting that took place in Indore. The ATS wants to take Rahirkar to Indore for the probe.”

The prosecution also submitted a ballistics report confirming that the weapons and ammunition seized from the residences of Dhavde and Jagdish Mhatre were imported weapons and live cartridges, and not antiques as argued by the defense.

Dhavde’s lawyer Bipin Patole argued that he held a very respectable position in society and is known to have held exhibitions on weapons and artillery. The ATS has also sought permission for narco-analysis tests on Rahirkar and Dhawde, to ascertain where the RDX was stored and to probe financial transactions.