Dabholkar case: CBI announces Rs 5 lakh reward for info on accused

The Central Bureau of Investigation has announced a reward of Rs 5 lakh for giving credible information about absconding accused Sarang Akolkar and Vinay Pawar in the murder of rationalist Narendra Dabholkar.

The reward has been announced by the probe agency as the duo could not be tracked, CBI sources said on Wednesday.

They said Akolkar, 35, is allegedly a key conspirator in the murder of Dabholkar in Pune on August 20, 2013, while Pawar is alleged to be the shooter.

Akolkar is believed to be linked to Sanatan Sanstha, a Hindu right-wing organisation whose headquarters are located at Ponda in Goa. He has been on the run ever since his name cropped up during investigations of the National Investigation Agency in the Goa blast case.

The NIA had secured an Interpol Red Corner Notice against him in 2012 but the security agencies are yet to track him down.

In its chargesheet filed on September 7 last year, the CBI had claimed to have pieced together links of a doctor Virendrasing Tawde with the Sanstha, Pawar and Akolkar.

The crucial piece of evidence that the CBI claims to have are e-mails of Tawde, besides testimony of some key persons whose help was sought in the murder, they said.

“The motive for the murder of Narendra Dabholkar was allegedly the longstanding enmity and hatred that existed between two private organisations. Dabholkar was the founder of Andhashraddha Nirmulan Samiti and the accused (doctor) was part of another other private organisation (Sanatan Sanstha) based at Kolhapur in Maharashtra,” CBI spokesperson had said after filing of the chargesheet.

The Bombay high court had transferred the probe to the CBI on May 9, 2014 on the plea of former journalist Ketan Tirodkar, who had claimed that there was no headway in the probe by the local police.