Coimbatore car blast: NIA registers case, probe to commence soon

Chennai, Oct 27 (IANS) The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has registered a First Information Report (FIR) in connection with the October 23 car blast case in Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore in which one person was killed, an official said on Thursday.

Tamil Nadu Director General of Police, C. Sylendrababu said on the direction from the Ministry of Home Affairs, the NIA officials would now work out the modalities in the case.

The order for the investigation of the case was issued by the Counter-Terrorism and Counter-Radicalisation division of the Ministry of Home Affairs.

It may be noted that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin who also holds the Home portfolio had requested the NIA to take over the probe on Wednesday after a high-level meeting of officials in which the state Chief Secretary, Home Secretary, and DGP were also present.

It may be noted that the Deputy Inspector General of NIA, K.B. Vandana, and the Superintendent of the premier agency, Sreejith are in Coimbatore and have conducted some preliminary inquiries regarding the blast. Six persons have also been arrested.

The Unlawful Atrocities (Prevention) Act -- UAPA, has been revoked against all the arrested individuals.

Tamil Nadu Police have already seized 75 kg of potassium nitrate, sulphur, aluminum powder, and charcoal from the residence of Jameesha Mubin who was killed in the blast.

Mubin, a 25-year-old engineering graduate was charred to death in the early morning explosion of the car triggered by the explosion of a gas cylinder.

He was previously questioned by the NIA in 2019 regarding his social media contact with the main accused in the Easter Day bombings in Sri Lanka.

The Tamil Nadu police had immediately after the car blast arrested five accomplices of Mubin which included Mohammed Thalka, son of Nawab Khan who is the brother of Al-Umma founder and the main culprit in the Coimbatore serial bomb blast of 1998, February 14 in which 56 people died and 200 people injured.

The others arrested are -- Mohammed Azharuddin, Mohammed Riyaz, Firoz Ismail, and Mohammed Navas Ismail.

Of them, Firoz Ismail was deported from the United Arab Emirates in 2019 after he was found to have links with the Islamic State.

Mubin's cousin Afsar Khan was also arrested on Thursday after questioning him for two days. Police found that he was instrumental in buying the chemicals through online commercial sites.

A strong police contingent comprising more than 3,000 personnel is camping at Coimbatore as Ukkadam -- where the blast happened, is a communally sensitive area.

The police are also tracing chemicals like potassium nitrate, charcoal, sulfur, and aluminum powder that are purchased through commercial websites and have sent notices to major online platforms.