Mangaluru Auto Blast Case to Be Transferred to NIA, Says Karnataka DGP

The investigation into the Mangaluru autorickshaw blast will soon be formally handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Karnataka Director General of Police Praveen Sood confirmed on Wednesday. Speaking after visiting the blast site at Nagori alongside Home Minister Araga Jnanendra, Sood stated that the primary intention of the accused, Mohammed Shariq, was to drive a wedge between communities.

"His aim was to create differences between two communities, there is no doubt," Sood said. "Differences between communities — be it Hindu, Muslim, or Christian — grow when there is a blast. It means destabilising the country."

Home Minister Jnanendra revealed that Shariq had travelled to locations like Coimbatore and Kanyakumari prior to the November 19 blast. Police teams have been dispatched to various places as part of the ongoing probe. Jnanendra noted that Shariq had planned a much larger explosion, but "the bomb exploded midway and did not go off the way it was planned." If the entire cooker he carried in the autorickshaw had detonated, it would have caused significant damage.

Shariq was arrested earlier in a case involving objectionable graffiti showing support for the Islamic State and Lashkar-e-Toiba. The High Court granted him bail after seven to eight months in custody. Following his release, he worked at a shop in Thirthahalli, Shivamogga district, but disappeared suddenly.

Jnanendra said Shariq was travelling with a Hindu identity card and photo to avoid suspicion. He frequently changed addresses, making him difficult to track. Investigators have recovered phones and computers as technical evidence. Sood stressed that the accused’s survival is critical for further interrogation, so details about financiers and organisations cannot be disclosed yet.

On the demand for an NIA office in Mangaluru, Jnanendra said the state government has raised the matter with the Centre and is confident an office will be established. "We will expose the forces behind the case," he vowed, adding that the home department is committed to eradicating fanatical elements seeking to disturb national unity.

📰 Source: New Indian Express Mangalore