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NIA issues notice to four in Shivamogga trial blast case
NIA has summoned Shamsuddin, Rizwan, Najeeb Wulla, and Tamim, all residents of Thirthahalli, to appear for questioning.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has issued notices to four individuals from Thirthahalli in connection with the Shivamogga trial blast case that occurred at Tungabadra river bed in Shivamogga, officials familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.
NIA has summoned Shamsuddin, Rizwan, Najeeb Wulla, and Tamim, all residents of Thirthahalli, to appear for questioning.
These individuals have been directed to report to the NIA office in Bengaluru before noon on October 19, as per a communication from the agency.
The Thirthahalli case came to light after Shivamogga police on September 23, 2022 arrested two men, identified as Maaz Muneer Ahmed and Syed Yasin, who had links to the Islamic State and recovered explosive materials from them.
The men were arrested in connection with the stabbing incident during communal clash over the poster of Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar in Shivamogga on August 15, 2023.
During the investigation, Ahmed revealed to the police that he had conducted trial bomb blasts along the banks of the Tungabhadra river. He stated that, along with his associates Mohammad Shariq and Syed Yasin, they had detonated a bomb they had made at a location locally known as Kemmangundi, on the riverbanks in Shivamogga district, and the experimental blast was successful.
The investigation also revealed that they had been radicalised by Shariq and had acquired knowledge of bomb-making techniques through videos and other materials sent to them by Shariq. Shariq manged to escape the arrest at that time.
However, he was apprehended following an unsuccessful bomb blast attempt in Mangaluru.
On November 19, 2022, an explosion occurred in an auto-rickshaw in Mangaluru, resulting in injuries to both the driver and the passenger. The following day, the state police chief, Praveen Sood, declared the incident an “act of terror with the intention to cause serious harm.”
A case was registered under section 120 (b) and 307 of the Indian Penal Code, along with the Explosive Substances Act, at the Kankanady town police station.
The recent notices from the NIA have been issued after an investigation revealed suspicions that the terror module behind the Mangaluru blast and Thirthahalli blast could have planned to target other significant locations within the city. “These revelations have come to light following the arrest of Arafat Ali, the conspirator in the Mangaluru blast, by the NIA in September. Arafat Ali was apprehended upon his arrival at Delhi,” said state intelligence official.
According to intelligence officials, Arafat Ali informed NIA authorities that Shariq had intentions to execute further attacks at public places across the city.
“They had planned more attacks if their intended target, the Kadri Manjunatha Temple, had been successfully targeted. Shariq was in the process of planting a pressure cooker bomb at the temple when an improvised explosive device accidentally detonated in an auto-rickshaw, resulting in his injury,” the officer added.
