According to the NIA, the accused had planned the attack for several months before executing it. file | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The case is being investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). There was a car blast in front of the Sangameshwara temple in Coimbatore on October 23.She is interrogating the six accused in her custody. A source close to the probe said that the special NIA court in Poonamallee, Chennai, on January 7, granted 10-day custody of the six accused.
while the suspected mastermind Jamisha Mubeen29, was killed in the blast, initially the police arrested six people Muhammad Azharuddin, 23, Afsar Khan, 28, Muhammad Thalha, 25, Muhammad Riyas, 27, Firoz Ismail, 27, and Muhammad Nawaz Ismail, 25, all residents of Coimbatore, on different charges.
After taking over the investigation NIA arrested Mohammad Thowfiq, 25, of Podanur in Coimbatore, Umar Farooq, 39, of Coonoor in Nilgiris and Firoz Khan, 28, of Ukkadam, south of Coimbatore, on December 7.
Azharuddin, Afsar Khan, Ismail, Farooq and Firoz Khan were interrogated by the investigation team in custody for nine days from 21 December. Before the end of their custody period, the agency Two more accused arrestedSheikh Hidayatullah and Sanofer Ali from Coimbatore on 28 December.
The source said the six accused are being interrogated in Chennai and may be brought to Coimbatore, if required, before the expiry of their custody on January 17. When asked whether the agency suspected the involvement of more people in the car blast, the source replied in the affirmative.
According to the NIA, the accused had hatched a conspiracy for several months before carrying out the terror attack. Investigators found that Farooq led conspiracy meetings in Hasanur and Kadambur areas of Sathyamangalam forests in Erode in February 2022, which were attended by Mubeen, Azharuddin, Hidayatullah and Ali.