Mangaluru blast accused's house raided; CM says he has terror links: 10 points

Police sources said that during the raid explosives along with circuit board, small bolts, battery, one mobile phone two fake Aadhaar cards, one fake PAN card and one debit card was recovered from the place.

Mangaluru/Ballari(Karnataka): The blast in an autorickshaw in Mangaluru on Saturday in which two persons including the accused Mohammed Shariq were injured has been linked to terrorist activities by the authorities. Police said that so far the investigation has revealed that the incident was an "act of terror." Both Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and Director General of Police Praveen Sood.

Here are the 10 points in this big story:

1. Tamil Nadu Police is interrogating a 40-year-old man identified as Surendran as the accused has used his Aadhar card to obtain SIM card. A police team reached the Kundasappai village in the State to question Surendra in relation to the case. The investigators are trying to find out whether he helped Mohammed Shariq in getting the SIM card.
2. Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai told reporters that the accused has terror links as he had traveled to various places including Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu. He also said that a preliminary investigation has revealed that an "LED-linked instrument" was used in the blast.
3. "When the antecedents of the suspect was carried out, it becomes very apparent that the name mentioned in the Aadhaar card found from the spot was different from the person who was carrying it. The suspect had a duplicate Aadhaar card. It had a Hubballi address," Bommai said.
4. As for the incident being looked to the now-banned Popular Front of India, the Chief Minister said that investigation will reveal the truth.
5. During the day the rented house of the accused was raided by police. Police sources said that the accused who had rented a house in Mysore's Lokanayakanagar, had given fake documents while renting the house adding that he had used the Aadhaar card of a youth from Hubli to rent the house. Explosives along with a circuit board, small bolts, a battery, one mobile phone two fake Aadhaar cards, one fake PAN card, and one debit card was recovered from the place.
6. A four-member NIA team on Sunday visited the place where the explosion took place. The NIA officials inspected the spot where the explosion took place and later went to the place where the auto was kept on the other side of the road. The Mangaluru City Police provided security during the NIA team's visit. ADGP Alok Kumar also visited blast site during the day. "It was a low-intensity IED explosion. There was an attempt to disrupt harmony in the area, and it was averted. Right now we have no information to suggest this blast related to Coimbatore blast," he said. "Victim Purshottam Pujari has 20-25% burn injuries. The suspect has 40-45% burn injuries," he added.
7. "It’s confirmed now. The blast is not accidental but an ACT OF TERROR with the intention to cause serious damage. Karnataka State Police is probing deep into it along with central agencies," Karnataka DGP Praveen Sood tweeted.
8. CCTV visuals from the location, shared by police, showed the autorickshaw catching fire following what appeared to be a minor explosion, a police official, however, did not confirm if it was a 'blast'. City police commissioner N Shashi Kumar rushed to the spot and told reporters after inspection that there was 'a fire' in the autorickshaw and there is no need for panic. He appealed against spreading rumors.
9. The explosion that took place at 5 pm on Saturday in the Kankanadi PS area left the autorickshaw driver and a passenger injured, who have been admitted to the hospital. There has been no report of any casualty in the incident. The police started investigating the cause of the fire on Saturday.
10. After a preliminary investigation, it was confirmed that the reason behind the fire was a bag being carried by a passenger riding in the auto. The auto driver and the passenger have sustained burn injuries, N Shashi Kumar, CP Mangaluru City said.