54-yr-old aide of state Cong leader ‘detained’ in German Bakery probe

For the record,K P Raghuvanshi,chief of the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad which is probing the blast,said his force had not picked up Pathan.

Pathan and his brother Feroz own a successful transport business in Kalyan in Thane district and their vehicles are known to mostly transport livestock to Nashik,Ahmednagar,Pune and other cities in the region. He was appointed Dutt’s official personal assistant about three months ago.

“A police officer,who identified himself as ‘Tayde’ took him to Bazarpeth Police Station in Kalyan on Wednesday saying he wanted to question Pathan in connection with the Pune blast. He was kept there until evening and was then taken to Pune,” Sachin Pote,Congress leader of opposition in the Kalyan-Dombivili Municipal Corporation,told The Indian Express.

“It’s ridiculous that the police just randomly picked up Arif and have detained him for over three days now. If the police suspected his connection,they should have at least communicated officially by now,” Pote added.

Pathan’s wife Charulata,who has contested municipal elections twice on a Congress ticket and once as an Independent,accused the police of illegally detaining her husband. “He was asked to come to the police station for some routine enquiry. Then they just took him to Pune without arresting him,” she said.

While Dutt could not be reached for comment,Kasim Shaikh,a lawyer who is helping the family trace Pathan,said they had not heard from the police on why he had been detained. “It’s a clear case of illegal detention. The family is contemplating legal action against the police,” he said.