In the early hours of Sunday, at around 4.30 am, a Maruti 800 car that slowed down to climb a speed breaker blasted off in front of the Kottai Ishwaran Temple in Coimbatore. The temple is located near the Muslim neighborhood of Ukkadam. The man, A Jameesha Mubin, who was driving the car, was charred to death.
Police that began the probe found the remains of two LPG cylinders and three drums in the car. The blast occurred due to one of the gas cylinders going off. They also found nails, marbles, and low-grade explosive materials. As suspicion grew over a possible terror angle to the Coimbatore car blast, Police formed six special investigation teams to handle the case. Temples across Coimbatore and also the main Hindu worship centers in Tamil Nadu were given a security cover.
DGP Shylendra Babu confirmed that there is a terror link to the blast. Jameesha Mubin, who was at the wheel, was earlier questioned in 2019 by the NIA but was later freed for want of evidence.
He had links with Zaharan Hasim involved in the Easter bombings in Sri Lanka. Police quickly arrested ‘ISIS sympathizers’ allied to Mubin. Coimbatore City Police Commissioner V Balakrishnan identified them as Mohammed Thalka(25), Mohammed Azharudheen (27), Mohammad Riyas (27), Firoz Ismail (27), and Mohammad Nawaz Ismail (27) of GM Nagar near Ukkadam. These men were arrested under sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), in addition to several other acts under the Indian Penal Code.
Investigations have also revealed that Mohammed Thalka is the nephew of Al-ummah Cheif Syed Ahmed Basha. Basha’s brother, Nawab Khan is serving a jail sentence for planning the 1998 serial blasts in Coimbatore that killed 60 and injured over 220.
CCTV footage recovered near Mubin’s residence in Ukkadam, Coimbatore, shows three of these men carrying a heavy object wrapped in a white cloth and some cans at 11.30 pm on Saturday. Police also seized 75 kg of explosive materials, including wires, charcoal, potassium nitrate, aluminum powder, and sulfur.
Indeed, Mubin had browsed YouTube videos on how to make country bombs. Mubin is survived by two daughters and a wife and moved into this residence in Ukkadam just 40 days ago. It is suspected that these men were plotting bomb blasts in key locations in the city, including Coimbatore Railway station, Victoria Town Hall, City police commissioner office, and Race Course.
The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu reviewed the Law and Order situation in the state and the investigation into the case. He said, he is recommending the transfer of the case to the National Investigating Agency, as he suspects cross-border and international links to the plot.
Meanwhile, Jamat leaders in Coimbatore refused burial for Mubin’s body as the terror angle came to light. However, after Police requested them, they relented on humanitarian grounds. Mubin’s WhatsApp status house before his death by explosion read: “If the news of my death reaches you, forgive my mistakes. Hide my shortcomings. Participate in my Janata. Pray for me,” IMPLYING, HE WAS AWARE HE WOULD DIE.
Image: The Hindu