The Mangaluru autorickshaw blast case will be formally handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) soon, Karnataka DGP Praveen Sood said here on Wednesday.
State Home Minister Araga Jnanendra visited the blast spot on the outskirts of the city, along with Sood, and also the hospital where the auto driver Purushottam Poojary is being treated.
NIA already a part of the probe
Addressing reporters, Jnanendra said the blast accused Mohammed Shariq had visited different places like Coimbatore and Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu and an investigation is on. Various police teams have been formed and sent to different places as part of the probe.
Sood, who was also present, said the NIA and central agencies were part of the investigation from day one of the blast, and added that the case would be formally handed over to the NIA soon.
Shariq charged under UAPA
Earlier on Monday, police found materials that go into making a bomb from the house where the Mangaluru blast accused Mohammed Shariq was staying as a tenant in Mysuru.
"We found materials that are used in making a bomb such as ammonium nitrate, nuts, bolts and other material from Mohan Kumar's house where he was staying," Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Alok Kumar said on Monday. Shariq was subsequently booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
'An act or terror,' inspired by ISIS
Kumar said that investigations point that Shariq was "influenced and inspired" by a (terrorist) organisation with global presence. A day earlier, DGP Sood had termed the blast "an act of terror with intention to cause serious damage."
(With inputs from PTI)
