Mumbai/Pune, March 17 (IANS) Almost four months after the arrest of a serving officer, Lt. Col. S.P. Purohit, the army has ordered a probe into his alleged role in the Malegaon blast, an official statement said here Tuesday.

The probe will be carried out by a three-member committee, which will be led by an officer of the rank of brigadier.

Purohit is among the 11 accused in the Sep 29, 2008, Malegaon bomb explosion which left six dead and many more injured.

Currently, Purohit and his associates - charged under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act by the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS)- are in judicial custody.

'The seriousness that the army attaches to the matter is evident from the fact that a senior officer of the rank of brigadier has been detailed to preside over the enquiry,' the statement issued in Pune said.

It added that the enquiry would be in the form of an internal audit which would help identify and pinpoint lapses in the existing system to enable suitable measures to be instituted to prevent similar recurrences.

However, the statement has not indicated a time frame within which the enquiry would be completed.