Days after a mysterious blast in Karnataka’s coastal town Mangaluru was revealed to be an improvised pressure cooker bomb, it has come to the fore that the accused Mohammed Shariq in the case dealt in cryptocurrencies to execute the terror operation.
The central agencies who joined in the investigation into the Mangaluru auto rickshaw blast case on Wednesday are probing the funding behind the blast.
Reportedly, the probing agencies noted that Shariq and his handlers used cryptocurrencies and the dark web to make financial transactions and received funds online to execute the blast. Shariq traded in bitcoins and received funding online from the Middle east for the terror operation. Cryptocurrency has emerged as a major threat in terms of terror funding and the Police in this case are closely investigating its involvement.
Yesterday, Karnataka home minister Araga Jnanendra visited the blast spot on the outskirts of the city, along with Karnataka police chief Praveen Sood. The duo also met the auto driver named Purushottam Poojary who is being treated at the hospital. The duo said that the blast case would be formally handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) which has been looking at the case since the incident occurred.
#BREAKING | More developments in the Mangaluru blast case. It has emerged that cryptocurrency was used to carry out the operation and the money was sent from Middle East. Tune in #LIVE: https://t.co/GAtGCw2GdU pic.twitter.com/VHhxYxuQyU
— Republic (@republic) November 24, 2022
Sood stated that the primary accused Mohammed Shariq’s goal was to create a rift between communities. “What else was the goal? 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. It means destabilising the country. He definitely intended to disturb communal harmony and unity… ,” said the DGP. Earlier, the DGP had confirmed that the blast was not accidental but an act of terror with the intention to cause serious damage.
On Saturday, a driving auto rickshaw burst in Mangaluru, creating fire and thick smoke, and the driver and a passenger were among those injured by burns. The passenger had boarded an auto rickshaw at Naguri from the Mangalore Railway Junction area. Following the explosion, a cooker was retrieved from the site and the state police increased security at airports, train stations, marketplaces, bus stops, and tourist attractions, among other places.
Shariq used fake IDs to rent a room
On November 21, it was reported that the accused Mohammed Shariq, who had previously been detained under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), had used fake identity cards to rent a room in Mysore. The Forensic Science Laboratory Division (FSL) team arrived at Shariq’s rented house in Mysore on Sunday as the inquiry into the Mangaluru bomb case proceeded. The squad seized explosive-making ingredients from Shariq’s home.
Gelatin powder, circuit boards, tiny bolts, batteries, mobile phones, wood power, aluminium multimeters, cables, mixing jars, pressure cookers, and other components required to build explosives were found by the FSL team. One mobile phone, two fake Aadhaar cards, one fake pan card, and one FINO debit card were also discovered by the forensic experts. The accused is alleged to have been assembling explosive devices at his home.
The suspect was paying Rs 1,800 per month for a single room, according to the house owner from Mysore. He presented a copy of the rental agreement, which showed the suspect’s name as Premraj, S/o Sri Maruthi, and his address as Hubballi.
The Police amid the investigations on November 22, also recovered the CCTV footage showing the accused boarding the auto-rickshaw at Naguri minutes before the explosion. In the fooatge, Shariq could be seen carrying a huge backpack in which the pressure cooker that was turned into IED was allegedly packed. The second suspect could also be seen with Shariq in the video. Karnataka Police has revealed that the suspect used the Isha Foundation logo as the display picture on his social media accounts to mask his identity.
The police have gathered CCTV footage from throughout the stretch, from the bus stop where he got off to Naguri, where the explosion eventually occurred, and are mapping Shariq’s trail after he reached Mangaluru through them. Meanwhile, the inquiry into Mohammed Shariq’s antecedents has found that he visited Madurai and Coimbatore in September and stayed for a few days in a hostel in Singanallur, a residential locality in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. Police are investigating whether Shariq met Jamesha Mubeen, who died in a car explosion in Coimbatore on October 23, during his stay there.
