NIA conducts raids in Tamil Nadu, Kerala
ONE PERSON WAS KILLED AFTER AN LPG CYLINDER INSIDE A VEHICLE HE WAS DRIVING EXPLODED IN OCT
NEW DELHI/CHENNAI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday conducted raids in multiple locations in Tamil Nadu and Kerala in connection with the Coimbatore blast, in which one person was charred to death after an LPG cylinder inside a vehicle he was driving exploded near a temple on October 23.
NIA took over the probe on October 27 following a recommendation by Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin, amid concerns that the incident may have ramifications beyond the boundaries of the state and international connections. Six people have been arrested so far.
According to people familiar with the matter, the probe agency raided a total of 44 locations in the two states. It held searches in eight districts in Tamil Nadu, mainly Chennai, Coimbatore, Thiruvallur, Tiruppur, Nilgiris, Chengalpattu, Kanchipuram and Nagapattinam, and in Kerala’s Palakkad district. Jameesha Mubin, who was questioned by NIA in 2019 for alleged terror links, was charred to death during the blast near Kottai Eswaran temple in Ukkadam around 4am on October 23, a day before Diwali.
The deceased was registered as the prime accused in the blast. The state police had invoked the stringent UAPA in the case.
“According to preliminary investigations, Jameesha Mubin, after taking bayah (oath of allegiance) to the global outfit Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, was planning to carry out suicidal attacks and cause extensive damage to symbols and monuments of a particular religious faith and with the intention to strike terror among a particular section of the community,” the NIA said in a statement.
Digital devices and incriminating documents were seized during the raids, the agency said.