The special NIA (National Investigation Agency) court on Wednesday extended the police custody of Manohar Singh, one of the key accused in the 2006 Malegaon blast case till January 16.

According to NIA, Singh is one of the planters of the bomb and is aware of the entire conspiracy. "We need custody of him for further investigation and we had contended that he knows a lot about the involvement of the other accused," said special public prosecutor for NIA, Rohini Salian.

Singh, who was arrested on December 29 by NIA from the Hathod area of Indore in Madhya Pradesh, has allegedly confessed his role in the 2006 Malegaon blast case. As per the prosecution case, on September 8, 2006, an explosion that took place near Hamidia Mosque in the Bada Kabristan area, killed 37 people and injured 100.