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February 10, 2024 10:38 am | Updated February 11, 2024 12:29 am IST – COIMBATORE
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The NIA searches are related to the Coimbatore car blast that took place in October 2022 | Photo Credit: SUSHIL KUMAR VERMA
National Investigation Agency (NIA) teams on Saturday searched 12 locations in Coimbatore, and a few places in Madurai Tirunelveli and Tiruchi, reportedly in connection with the October 2022 car blast in front of the Arulmigu Kottai Sangameswarar Thirukovil in Coimbatore, in which a suicide bomber Jameesha Mubeen, with suspected links to the ISIS, was killed.
The raids were conducted at 11 places in the Coimbatore city and Othakalmandapam in rural part of the district. The local police stood guard while the teams searched the places for hours. According to police sources, elecronic gadgets were seized in the raids.
The residences that were searched include those of Saheel of R.S. Puram; Nazar, 30, of Anna Nagar in Podanur; M. Habibullah, 38, of Al-Ameen Colony at South Ukkadam; K. Salahudeen, 42; Aneesh Ahamed and H. Abuthahir, 43, who are residents of localities in South Ukkadam; M. Abdul Rasheed of Madheena Nagar; S. Mohammed Sudhir, 33 of Kuniamuthur; A. Rizwan, 31 and S. Imran, 27 of Ramalan Nagar; and S. Faizal Rahman, 42, and H. Mohammed Ali Jinnah, who are faculties in private engineering colleges.
NIA sleuths walking out of a house on Kazimar Street in Madurai, after conducting searches on Saturday, February 10, 2024 | Photo Credit: Ashok R
Sources said that, according to preliminary inquiries, all the 12 persons were alumni of Arabic colleges and allegedly had links with IS-sympathisers. The NIA had taken over investigation in the case, which was initially registered by the Ukkadam police.
The NIA also searched a house at Kooni Bazaar in Tiruchi in connection with the blast. According to police sources, the agency officials searched the house of Ashraf Ali, who runs an electrical shop. Three NIA sleuths went to his house around 6 a.m., and searched it for about seven hours. The officials had reportedly confiscated a couple of laptops and mobiles phones. They left his house around 1 p.m., police sources said.
Similarly, another team of NIA sleuths went to East Boulevard Road in Tiruchi to search the house of Abdul Rasool. His house was reportedly locked and the officials left the spot, police sources added.
Raids in the south
In Madurai, the NIA team began searches at the residence of a Wahdat E Islami Hind functionary’s house on Kazimar Street. As many as four NIA officials who entered the house on Kazimar Street, and are investigating to find out if the functionary was, in any way, connected to the blast.
Police personnel were deployed at the location to prevent any untoward incident.
Ayaz, Kazimar street Muslim Jamat secretary, told presspersons after the NIA interrogation at a resident’s house that the NIA was mainly targeting youngsters involved in social activities. “The investigation was mostly based on the person’s activities in madrasa. This government is targeting youngsters during the election period….”
He further said that they had taken away a mobile phone from the person and asked him to appear for inquiry at NIA’s office in Chennai.
Reliable sources said that in Tirunelveli, around 5.45 a.m., a team from the NIA searched the premises of one Fakrudeen Ali Ahmed, 35, a a resident of Mohideen Nagar, Rajath Street, Erwadi in Tirunelveli district, and interrogated him.
Two bank officials from Tirunelveli and Tenkasi were also present. It is learnt that the NIA questioned them over a money transaction made through the bank from an overseas account. The sources said that Ahmed was the State youth wing secretary of Palani Baba Ezhuchi Kazhagam. A large posse of police personnel was deployed in the area.
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terrorism (crime) / investigation / Tamil Nadu / Coimbatore / Tiruchi / Madurai
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