They suspects Kandhal’s possible links with the bomb blasts in Maharashtra and Karnataka, and are now in the process of filing a revised petition in the Session Court to seek his custody.

The move comes a day after a lower court on Monday rejected a plea by CID (Crime) for a 15-day remand custody of Kandhal. The eldest son of the erstwhile mafia queen Santokben Jadeja, Kandhal, was arrested on Sunday from Nigadi near Pune after being on the run for over two years. He had fled from the custody of Rajkot city police in 2007.

“The department has been preparing to file the revised petition in the Sessions Court,” said Investigating Officer D T Vaghela.

Though Kandhal and his other family members, including mother Santokben, have been accused in TADA as well as murder cases, this is for the first time that Kandhal’s name has surfaced in terrorist activities.

CID (Crime) has sought Kandhal’s remand custody based on 21 points over which it wants to interrogate him, including his possible links with terror activities in Maharashtra and Karnataka.

“He has a crime record and has always used firearms. He had been to Maharashtra and Karnataka and our information expresses the possibility of his link with terrorist activities. The department wants to interrogate Kandhal in the same connection to get more details,” said Vaghela.

Other reasons for the remand custody include getting information about his whereabouts and activities after he fled from Rajkot.

Investigators want to get answers to questions ranging from who helped him in fleeing, to who extended him support during the past two years. Besides, the CID (Crime) also wants to interrogate Jadeja to know the role of police and doctors in the entire episode.

During his nine-month stay in Rajkot District Jail, where he was shifted from the Sabarmati jail in 2006, Kandhal spent around three months in private hospitals for cure of various ailments.

When he fled from Shivani Hospital located at Vidhya Nagar Main Road on February 6 2007, there were four constables on duty to keep an eye on him.

However, given his 23 visits to private hospitals during nine months, the then Rajkot District Jail Superintendent Arun Vyas, had in a letter to the Commissioner of Police in December 2006, expressed the possibility of an attempt by Kandhal to escape from police custody.