Mangaluru Blast Updates: NIA Probes as Suspect Has Terror Links, Accused Carried Fake ID Card

Mangaluru: Amidst reports of connection between the Coimbatore blast case and Mangaluru blast, a five-member NIA team reached the explosion site in the city on Sunday. On October 23, an LPG cylinder kept in the car exploded in Kodaimedu of Coimbatore killing the driver Jamesha Mubeen. 

The NIA officials may question the injured auto-rickshaw driver and the passenger, identified as Mohammed Shariq (24), who sustained burn injuries in the explosion on Saturday. Sources said Shariq had recently travelled to Coimbatore. 

Earlier in the day, the Karnataka DGP Praveen Sood confirmed the explosion as a an act of terror. Later, the state Home Minister Araga Jnanendra said the state police and NIA are probing the matter. The blast took place on Saturday inside an autorickshaw which left the driver and passenger injured. According to police sources, a cooker fitted with detonator, wires and batteries were used to trigger the blast. 

During its investigation, the state police found out that the injured passenger Prem Raj was carrying a fake Aadhar card. Shariq was travelling in the auto as Prem. It was also found that the inured passenger was earlier involved in the terror graffiti case in the city in November 2020 and was recently released on bail. 

#BREAKING #Mangaluru auto blast case accused identified. Police sources inform #Sharik is the one behind the blast. He is the #passenger in the #auto. In 2020- he was arrested in graffiti case. He was booked under UAPA earlier. He had got bail on technical grounds. #Karnataka pic.twitter.com/j0M7pqd8lZ

— Imran Khan (@KeypadGuerilla) November 20, 2022

Meanwhile, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said during the initial probe it was found that an improvised explosive device (IED) was being carried in the moving autorickshaw. Addressing reporters in Ballari, the Chief Minister said the suspect had terror links as he had travelled to various places including Coimbatore. 

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“When the antecedents of the suspect was carried out, it becomes very apparent that the name mentioned in the Aadhaar card found from the spot was different from the person who was carrying it. The suspect had a duplicate Aadhaar card. It had a Hubballi address,” Bommai said. 

(With inputs from agencies)