The Mangaluru blast case will be handed over to the National Investigation Agency, the Karnataka Police said on Wednesday, reported PTI.
The blast took place on November 17 inside a moving autorickshaw in Mangaluru injuring two persons, including the accused man identified as Shariq.
“The National Investigation Agency along with other central agencies were part of the investigation from day one of the blast,” Director General of Police Praveen Sood said, reported PTI. “The case would be formally handed over to the National Investigation Agency soon.”
Shariq was allegedly carrying a low-intensity Improvised Explosive device, or IED, inside a pressure cooker that accidentally exploded in the autorickshaw. On Sunday, the Karnataka Police had described the incident as an “act of terror”.
The police have said that Shariq was also carrying an Aadhaar card of a person identified as Premraj Hutagi, a resident of Karnataka’s Hubballi district. Hutagi had lost the identification document and acquired a duplicate.
“Premraj is a victim of identity theft,” Sood had tweeted on Sunday. “It’s confirmed. He has nothing to do with this incident.”
The police have also alleged that Shariq was inspired by the ideology of terror outfit Islamic State.
“Shariq’s immediate handler was Arafat Ali, an accused in two cases,” Additional Director General of Police Alok Kumar, reported NDTV. “He was in touch with Mussavir Hussain who is an accused in the Al-Hind module case. Abdul Matin Taha was also one of the main handlers…Another two-three handlers are yet to be identified.”
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