Mangaluru blast: TN Police detain one suspect for questioning

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Police on Sunday took into custody a native of Udhagamandalam in Nilgiris district over his links with Mohammed Shareeq who is grievously injured in the explosion in an autorickshaw in Karnataka's Mangaluru.

Police are questioning Surendran from Udhagamandalam and according to information from police sources, he has admitted to knowing Shareeq. Sources told IANS that Shareeq had procured the SIM card of his phone using Surendran's Aadhaar records.

Allegedly a member of an IS module and charged under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Shareeq was missing since September. His family has identified him through his photograph and will be reaching Mangaluru.

Police told IANS that Shareeq, according to his call data records, had called some numbers in Tamil Nadu.

The NIA has conducted several raids across Tamil Nadu after a car exploded on Diwali eve on October 23 in which 29-year-old Jameesha Mubin was charred to death. Six people are in judicial custody under UAPA charges and these include the nephew of S.A. Basha, the terror operative involved in the serial blasts of February 14, 1998, in which 56 people lost their lives and 200 were grievously injured.

However, Tamil Nadu's Director General of Police C. Sylendra Babu told media persons that no records are available at the moment regarding any connection between Shareeq and Mubin.

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Police and Central agencies refused to divulge any details regarding investigation in the state in connection with the Mangaluru autorickshaw blast on Saturday.