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Two pieces of evidence, a hunch help police crack the Mangaluru auto blast case
Aided with two pieces of evidence and a hunch, the Karnataka police cracked the mystery around the suspect in the low-intensity blast reported in Mangaluru city, on Saturday
Aided with two pieces of evidence and a hunch, the Karnataka police cracked the mystery around the suspect in the low-intensity blast reported in Mangaluru city, on Saturday. On Sunday, police identified the bomber as Thirthahalli-based Mohammed Shariq, 24, a terror accused charged with links to the Islamic State (IS), who is on the run since September 2022.
A day after an autorickshaw caught fire in Mangaluru city, and the driver and a passenger sustained burn injuries, the state police chief Praveen Sood said on Sunday said the explosion was not an accident but an “act of terror with the intention to cause serious damage”.
While an Aadhaar card and a mobile phone helped the police identify the chain of events that led to the explosion, an investigation on a hunch that the suspect “is a bomber on the run”, led to police confirming the identity of the suspect.
“It’s confirmed now. The blast is not accidental but an act of terror with the intention to cause serious damage,” tweeted director general of police and inspector general of police (DGP&IGP) Praveen Sood on Sunday morning. “Karnataka police is probing the matter along with central agencies,” he added.
A senior officer privy to the investigation said that the materials found inside the autorickshaw confirmed an improvised explosive device (IED). During the search of the vehicle police discovered a burnt pressure cooker and batteries connected to an “electronic device”.
The officer, who is supervising the investigation described the IED as an “amateur job”. “The suspects have made an IED, but we have not found any sign of ammonium nitrate (a chemical used for bomb-making). Even though a forensic analysis is pending, we suspect they have used gunpowder or chemicals used for making matchboxes,” said the officer.
Once it was confirmed that an IED was used, police began looking for clues to identify the bomber. During the search, police found an Aadhaar card and a mobile phone inside the vehicle. The Aadhaar card was in the name of Premraj Hutagi living in Hubballi district. “When our officers checked on the address to find Premaraj, they got to know that he is a Group D employee in Indian Railways in Tumakuru where he maintains tracks. He told police that his Aadhaar card was missing,” said the officer.
The officer added that even though the Aadhaar card had Premraj’s details, the photograph was different. Soon after, Praveen Sood tweeted: “Mangalore blast case; Premraj is a victim of identity theft. It’s confirmed. He has nothing to do with this incident (sic).”
“He (accused) was misusing the Aadhaar card of Premraj who is a resident of Hubballi. Currently, he is working at Tumakuru with the Indian Railways. He had lost his Aadhaar card six months back,” Sood later said in a statement to the media.
The probe then progressed based on the information recovered from the mobile phone, said police. The call detail records (CDR) showed that the phone was used in Mysuru for over a month, said the police. Triangulating the signal, police were able to identify a house in Mysuru. “We raided the house and found some materials of interest. We can’t share those details now. But, the suspect was living there using a stolen identity. He was using a mobile number registered in Tamil Nadu, which was also purchased using a stolen identity,” the officer quoted above added.
Since the bomber had suffered more than 50% burns in the explosion, the police were not able to question him.
As the investigation was stuck, police started looking for suspects with a background of bomb-making. One of the first suspects that came on the list was Mohammed Shariq. While probing a stabbing incident in Shivamogga around Independence Day over putting up a photo of VD Savarkar, Shivamogga rural police had busted an alleged terror module with alleged links to Islamic State.
Police had arrested Maaz Muneer Ahmed, 22, and Syed Yasin, 21, and recovered explosive materials from them. During the interrogation, they had said that “they were radicalised by Mohammed Shariq and had learnt making bombs through videos, PDF files and other materials sent to them by Shariq”.
The duo had prepared an IED and tested it successfully on the banks of Tungabhadra, police had alleged. However, Shariq had fled from his residence and had been absconding since that time, said the police.
Probing this lead, the police took the photos of the man in the hospital to the accused’s family, who confirmed Shariq’s identity. Police have registered a case against Shariq under the Indian Penal Code and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act .
Karnataka home minister Araga Jnanendra on Sunday said that various reports suggest terror organisations are linked with the blast and the probe is on to get all the details.
“In light of the blast in Mangaluru, we have admitted the patient to the hospital and are getting him good treatment...The Mangaluru police are probing the motive behind the incident. According to various reports, the motive is big and terror organisations seem to have links with this blast,” Jnanendra said.
“Along with state police, central investigation teams will also help in the probe. The investigation is on and we might get all the details in two to three days,” the home minister added.
Meanwhile, former state chief minister and leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah on Sunday condemned the Mangaluru blast and urged the Karnataka police to immediately arrest all those responsible.
“The DGP has confirmed that the blast in Mangaluru is an act of terror. I strongly condemn this act of violence and urge the police to immediately arrest those responsible for the act,” Siddaramaiah said in a tweet.
“The blast has exposed the failure of the intelligence department, and the home minister should accept the responsibility. I urge the people not to panic and give leads to the police about all the suspected persons,” Siddaramaiah tweeted further.
