NIA to formally take charge of Mangaluru autorickshaw blast case, says Karnataka DGP

The National Investigation Agency will soon take formal charge of the Mangaluru autorickshaw blast case, Karnataka Director General of Police Praveen Sood confirmed on Wednesday. Sood made the announcement during a visit to the blast site at Nagori alongside Karnataka Home Minister Araga Jnanendra, who also inspected the hospital where prime accused Mohammed Shariq and auto-driver Purushottam Poojary are receiving treatment.

Sood was unambiguous about the motive behind the November 19 attack. "His aim was to create differences between two communities — there is no doubt. Differences between communities, be it Hindu, Muslim, or Christian, grow when there is a blast. He definitely intended to disturb communal harmony and unity," the DGP said. Central agencies and the NIA have been working alongside Karnataka Police since day one, he added, with formal handover now imminent.

Home Minister Jnanendra revealed that Shariq had travelled to multiple locations including Coimbatore and Kanyakumari before the blast. Several police teams are already deployed across different places as part of ongoing investigations. Investigators are working to identify his financiers and, in Jnanendra's words, "the forces which are compelling him to repeatedly do such acts."

The blast could have been far deadlier. Jnanendra stated that Shariq had planned a major explosion, but "the bomb exploded midway and did not go off the way it was planned." Had the entire pressure cooker detonated, the minister said, damage would have been catastrophic. Shariq had assembled the device using locally sourced materials.

Shariq travelled disguised as a Hindu, carrying a forged Hindu photo identity card to avoid suspicion, and frequently changed his address to evade tracking. Earlier, he was arrested in Mangaluru in connection with graffiti expressing support for the Islamic State and Lashkar-e-Toiba, but the High Court granted him bail after seven to eight months in custody. He subsequently worked at a shop in Thirthahalli, Shivamogga district, before disappearing from police surveillance.

Investigators also noted that the accused used unconventional communication methods, deliberately avoiding telephone calls. Sood said technical materials including phones and computers have been seized, and Shariq's survival is critical for interrogation purposes. The DGP cautioned media against labelling individuals called for questioning as accused, citing Prem Raj — whose Aadhaar card Shariq had used — as a key witness rather than a suspect.

On the demand for a permanent NIA office in Mangaluru, Jnanendra said the state government has formally brought the matter to the Centre's attention and expressed confidence that an office would be established in the coastal city.

📰 Source: New Indian Express Mangalore