Maharashtra Anti-Terrorist Squad on Wednesday picked up a seer, head of the Sharda Sarvagya Peeth in Jammu, from Kanpur for questioning in connection with the Malegaon blast case.

"The person is identified as Dayanand Pandey alias Amritanand, who hails from Uttar Pradesh [Images] and was residing in Ravatpur village in Kanpur," UP Additional Director General, Law and Order Brijlal told media persons in Lucknow.

Pandey, who heads Sharda Sarvagya Peeth in Jammu and resides in Trikuta Nagar there, was picked up at around 2.30 pm without 'any resistance or law and order problem' from

Ravatpur area where he was living for past three to four days, he said.

The suspect was rounded up after a two-member team of ATS led by ACP Mohan Kulkarni arrived in Kanpur late Tuesday night armed with a Nashik court order, which charged Pandey under various sections Explosives Act and IPC including for murder and attempt to murder for the Malegaon blast.

The ATS has so far arrested nine people including Lt Col Shrikant Purohit, Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, former army officer Ramesh Upadhyay and Abhinav Bharat member Sameer Kulkarni in the Malegaon blast case.

"Pandey is being brought to Lucknow for inquiry by ATS Maharastra. If they want to arrest the accused they will produce him in the court and take him on transit remand," Brijlal said.

In the court's order, Pandey is accused under Sections 16,18 and 23 of Prevention of Unlawful activities Act, Section 345 of  Explosives act and sections 302, 307, 326, 324, 427, 153 A/ 120 B of IPC, he said.

Asked whether the person who gave shelter to Pandey had been questioned, Brijlal said that he could not divulge further details.