New Delhi - Police in India's western state of Maharashtra on Wednesday arrested a serving Indian Army officer for his alleged role in bomb blasts in September that killed six people and injured more than 70.

Lieutenant Colonel Srikant Purohit was arrested by the Maharashtra Police after several days of detention for questioning, additional commissioner of police Parambir Singh was quoted as saying by PTI news agency. He was remanded to 10 days' police custody by a local court.

Purohit was picked up for questioning last week in connection with the blasts near a mosque in Malegaon town in Maharashtra and Modasa town in Gujarat.

The blasts occurred in the two Muslim-dominated towns on September 29 within minutes of each other and the police have said that they suspected a radical Hindu outfit of carrying out the attacks.

Singh said the army's permission had been obtained to arrest Purohit. He did not give any details of Purohit's suspected role in the blasts.

An army spokesman, however, said they had not received any formal intimation of Purohit's arrest.

Federal Home Minister Sri Prakash Jaiswal was quoted as saying that the arrest of an army officer was a matter of grave concern. (dpa)