Mangaluru blast accused Shareeq stayed in Tamil Nadu in Sept; Coimbatore link strengthens

The investigation into the Mangaluru blast, which transpired on November 19, has widened as new details about the accused Shareeq have surfaced solidifying the Coimbatore angle. According to the Police, the accused was in Coimbatore in September and had stayed at a lodge for three days. The lodge named Mathi Magizh Vien is located in Gandhipuram and according to sources, the building has been sealed and owners are being questioned by the Police. 

As of now, the Police are advancing the probe to find out whom Shareeq contacted in Coimbatore while he stayed in the city. Investigators are looking into the Coimbatore angle as a similar blast took place in the city as an LPG cylinder exploded inside a car killing one person in October this year. The incident in Mangaluru, on the other hand, is related to a cooker blast inside a moving auto-rickshaw that injured the driver and Shareeq who boarded the auto-rickshaw with a forged Aadhar card with the name Prem Raj. 

In the FIR which had the driver's statement, he said, "a person (Shareeq) boarded the auto, he had a black bag with him. The person told me he wanted to go towards Pumpwell and he was an unknown person Prem Raj. We were travelling towards Pumpwell near the Rohan building in front of the bus stop the auto-rickshaw exploded at around 4.40 PM."

Explosives recovered from the accused's residence

Earlier in the day, the Karnataka Police recovered explosive materials from the residence of the blast accused and seized pressure cookers, gelatin sticks, relay circuits, wires and other explosive materials. According to sources, Shareeq was planning to assemble these explosive materials as they were kept separately, however, only one cooker bomb was assembled which exploded on November 19. 

Shareeq has a history of being associated with terror activities as he was named in the trial blasts in Shivamogga. He is also accused of making graffiti in Shivamogga in 2020 and issuing threats saying 'do not force us to invite Lashkar-e-Taiba and Taliban' as a warning for the 'Sanghis and the Manvedis'. After being arrested for the offence, he was released on bail in February 2021.

Image: Republic World