The autorickshaw blast in Karnataka’s Mangaluru on Saturday was not accidental but an ‘act of terror’ with the intention to cause serious damage, state police chief Praveen Sood said on Sunday.
“It’s confirmed now. The blast is not accidental but an act of terror with the intention to cause serious damage. Karnataka police is probing deep into it along with central agencies,” the director general of police (DGP) wrote on Twitter.
On Saturday, an autorickshaw caught on fire in Mangaluru city causing in which the driver and a passenger sustained burn injuries, police said.
CCTV visuals from the location showed the autorickshaw catching fire after an explosion. The autorickshaw driver and a passenger suffered burn injuries following the incident.
According to city police commissioner N Shashi Kumar, a bag carried by the passenger, caught fire on the way towards Pumpwell. The passenger boarded at Nagori.
“The driver said that fire was spotted inside a bag carried by the passenger. The driver and the passenger suffered burn injuries. We have shifted them to a hospital,” Kumar said.
As the investigation moved further, the police recovered a mobile and an Aadhaar card from the site of the blast. According to officials, the suspect had procured a SIM card from Tamil Nadu using fake documents and was carrying a stolen Aadhaar card.
“The suspect has links to some terror activities in the past also and has alleged links with some terror outfits which are banned,” Praveen Sood said.
“He was misusing the Aadhaar card of one Premraj, a resident of Hubballi. Premraj works with the Indian Railways in Tumakuru. Premraj lost his Aadhaar card six months ago which was supposedly found by the suspect and has been misusing it. This is certainly a blast which is related to terror activity,” Sood added.
Karnataka home minister Araga Jnanendra on Sunday said various reports suggest terror organisations’ link with the blast. A probe is on to get all the details, he added.
“The Mangaluru police is probing the motive behind the incident. According to various reports, terror organisations seem to have links with this blast,” Jnanendra said.
“We discussed this with the central security forces as well. The investigation is currently underway, and we might get all the details in the next 2-3 days,” the home minister added.
Meanwhile, former Karnataka chief minister and leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah on Sunday condemned the Mangaluru blast and urged Kartanaka police to immediately arrest all those responsible.
“DGP has confirmed that the blast in Mangaluru is an act of terror. I strongly condemn this act of violence & strongly urge the police to immediately arrest those responsible for the act,” Siddaramaiah said in a tweet.
“The blast has exposed the failure of the intelligence department, & home minister should accept the responsibility. I urge the people not to panic and give leads to the police about all the suspected persons,” Siddaramaiah wrote on Twitter.