Mangaluru blast accused Shareeq posed as Hindu; Karnataka Home min says 'he misled people'

Shareeq, the main accused in the Mangaluru auto-rickshaw blast case tried to conceal his original identity and posed as Hindu. As per the sources, the accused used the picture of the Isha Foundation located in Coimbatore as his WhatsApp display picture. He wanted to pose as Hindu and plant bombs in a bid to create communal unrest. 

Shareeq concealed his identity

Notably, Shareeq on Saturday boarded an auto-rickshaw and was heading to carry out an attack on the Pumpwell flyover when the bomb exploded inside the vehicle injuring him as well the driver. The accused as well as the auto driver is currently undergoing treatment. It is pertinent to mention that a case has been registered against Shareeq under Sections 120B (criminal conspiracy) as well as 307 (attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

While addressing the media, N Shashi Kumar, CP Mangaluru on Tuesday said, "On the very first day, his identity was forged as he used the identity of a person hailing from Hubballi which has been clarified now. Besides that, we are investigating where else he has tried to forge his identity and we have included the relevant sections of the law. His identity was established yesterday and will take the help of other security agencies."

Speaking exclusively to Republic TV, Karnataka Home Minister Araga Jnanendra said, "He was using the Hindu name, identity, and credentials to travel around and therefore several people have been misled into helping him. So all his relatives who visited Thirthahalli on Monday identified that he is Shareeq. The police are intensifying their investigation along with the central agencies."

He further said, "Police have conducted raids at a few locations including the residence of a relative of the suspect in Shivamogga. The hospital where the accused is under treatment is provided with police security and there is no danger to his life".

Explosives recovered from the accused's residence

On Saturday, a blast occurred in an auto rickshaw near a police station. The blast, wherein the passenger Shareeq and the driver, Purshottam Pujari, were injured. It was triggered by a cooker fitted with a detonator, wires, and batteries. The police recovered a photo of Shareeq with the cooker thereafter, and to confirm the identity, the officials got in touch with his relatives. The accused family members - mother Shabana, and sister Jasmine on Monday arrived at the Father Muller hospital and confirmed Shareef's identity. 

Earlier in the day, the Karnataka police recovered explosive materials, including sulphur, phosphorus, matchboxes, nuts & bolts, circuits, pressure cookers, gelatin sticks, relay circuits, and wires, from the residence of the blast accused. The sources of the material have been identified as some were bought online, and others offline. 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.