Mangaluru blast: Terror suspect moved to B’luru hospital

BENGALURU: Mohammad Shariq, the terror suspect in Mangaluru cooker blast case, was on Saturday shifted to Victoria Hospital here from Mangaluru by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), sources confirmed.

Confirming the development, Mangaluru Police Commissioner Shashikumar stated that he was taken to Bengaluru amid heavy police protection under the monitoring of NIA officers early this morning.

According to sources, Shariq has recovered completely and is able to walk and manage daily chores by himself. However, he has been moved to the burns ward of the Victoria Hospital for further treatment.

He will be taken to NIA facility in Bengaluru soon, sources said. The NIA officers had already started grilling Mohammad Shariq a few days ago following his recovery.

The probe has revealed that Shariq was getting financial support from Abdul Mateen Taha, who was directly in touch with terror outfit IS. He also introduced Shariq and others to terror network, sources said.

The handlers got the funding through darknet and bitcoin. The terror suspect was planning to carry out the blast in the communally-sensitive Mangaluru and quietly come back to Mysuru and continue to hatch conspiracy in the identity of a Hindu man. However, his plans turned turtle with the explosion of cooker bomb in the outskirts of Mangaluru on November 19.

However, the opposition Congress has questioned the investigation regarding the Mangaluru blast and declaration of Mohammad Shariq as a terror suspect.