Just weeks after the Coimbatore bomb blast that happened a day before Deepavali, an auto-rickshaw exploded in Karnataka’s coastal city of Mangaluru on 19 November 2022.
The passenger in the auto-rickshaw who has been identified as Mohammed Shariq was reportedly carrying a pressure cooker, and police have found that there was an improvised explosive device (IED) inside the cooker which exploded.
Shariq was the same person who had conducted trial blasts in Shivamogga. He was earlier involved in the Mangaluru graffiti incident in which he was accused number 1. He was in jail and was released on bail in February 2021.
He has been on the Karnataka Police radar for the last few months.A report by News 18 says that he was reportedly planning a similar attack in Shivamogga, but the plan was busted by the police two months ago.
According to reports, the Shariq was carrying a stolen Aadhar card of a 24-year-old Hindu person named Premraj, who is a resident of Hubballi. It is believed that he had tried to fake his identity by impersonating as Premraj who works in the Railways.
Police sources have said that the terror suspect is from Shivamogga and and lived in Mysuru for quite some time.
The house owner from Mysuru, stated that the terror suspect was paying ₹1,800 per month for a single room and produced a copy of the rental agreement, which listed the suspect’s name as Premraj, S/o Sri Maruthi, with a Hubballi address.
Intelligence agencies raided the room of Shariq where explosives, circuit boards, sulphuric acid, other chemicals, small bolts, batteries, mobile displays, wooden powder, aluminum foil, multimeter, wires, mixer jars, pressure cooker and whistles, and other items were discovered. A mobile phone, two fake Aadhaar cards, one PAN card, one debit card, an unused SIM card, and a notebook with circuit drawings were also recovered.
The Karnataka Director General of Police (DGP) has confirmed that the blast is not accidental but an act of terror with the intention to cause serious damage.
Further investigations have revealed that Mohammad Shariq had stayed at Coimbatore and travelled across Tamil Nadu a few months ago.
During his stay in Coimbatore, Shariq had got a mobile sim card using the Aadhar card of another person and assumed a fake identity. He had booked a dormitory using the Aadhaar card of one Arun Kumar Gawli and had taken a SIM under the name of Surendra. He also possessed an Aadhaar card of a person from Gadag according to a repot by Deccan Herald.
In light of these revelations, Tamil Nadu BJP President K. Annamalai has said that the state has become a safe haven for terrorists ever since the DMK came to power.
He said that the state intelligence is under deep hibernation and added that Shariq’s stay in Coimbatore raises serious doubts about his connection to terror modules in Tamil Nadu operating with impunity.
After the @arivalayam govt came to power, state intelligence is under deep hibernation, & TN is becoming a haven for terrorists.
The Initial probe of Mangaluru bomb blast revealed that the terrorist HM Shariq assumed a fake identity & stayed in Coimbatore this September. (1/2)
— K.Annamalai (@annamalai_k) November 21, 2022
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