Mangaluru Blast Case: Accused used stolen documents to buy SIM card, says police

Arun Kumar Gowli, an MBA and engineering graduate working in a private company in Bangalore, said he had lost the documents long ago during the interrogation.

Bellary/Mysore: The ongoing investigation in the Mangalore auto rickshaw blast case revealed that the accused Shariq had used stolen documents belonging to a Sandur-based techie to get the SIM card used in the crime. The techie, identified as Arun Kumar Gowli, had lost his records one and a half years ago in Bangalore.

After tracing his identity attached to the SIM card, the officials investigated and reached the conclusion that the documents used were stolen as the techie got a clean chit, with no links to the case whatsoever. Arun Kumar Gowli, an MBA and engineering graduate working in a private company in Bangalore, said he had lost the documents long ago during the interrogation.

Meanwhile, a team of five officials from the National Investigation Agency reached Mysore to gather more information. The investigation there is focused on the residence of the accused in the city, the place he moved to later, the people he was in association with, the fake identities he used to forge addresses and contact numbers, as well as the place where he got the training for mobile repairing.

The rented house where the suspect lived has been thoroughly checked for clues, while the officials have also spoken to the owner of the house, the neighbors in the area as well as the people who have moved in on rent in the recent past in that area, along with those residing in the sensitive and outlying areas of the city. Some guards have been deployed at this rented residence to keep an eye on it 24/7.

With Mysore being a major tourist spot in the state, the local authorities have given instructions for the installation of CCTV cameras at all the major roundabouts, bus stands, railway stations, tourist spots, and hotels in the city to monitor suspicious people. The local police and intelligence department have been informed to keep an eye on the CCTV footage.