"Act Of Terror": Cops Probing Mangaluru Auto Blast Find Rigged Cooker

The autorickshaw blast in coastal Karnataka's Mangaluru Saturday was not accidental but an "act of terror with the intention to cause serious damage", the state police chief said today. Karnataka top cop Praveen Sood added that the police is probing the incident along with central agencies.

Karnataka Home Minister Araga Jnanendra too said that central investigation teams are assisting the police in the case.

"The person injured in the blast is not in a position to speak yet. The police team is collecting all the information. Early indications into the probe suggest terrorist activity. We have informed the central security agencies, and they have sent a team to Mangaluru. We are expecting concrete information in the next one or two days," he said.

It's confirmed now. The blast is not accidental but an ACT OF TERROR with intention to cause serious damage. Karnataka State Police is probing deep into it along with central agencies. https://t.co/lmalCyq5F3

- DGP KARNATAKA (@DgpKarnataka) November 20, 2022

The police have recovered a "burnt pressure cooker with batteries" inside the autorickshaw, sources have told NDTV.

Speaking to NDTV, Mr Sood said that the main suspect is the passenger in the auto. "The passenger was carrying an Aadhar card which was later found to be of a man from Hubbali. The photo on the Aadhar card looked like his, but it's not his. This gives us a fair idea that he was planning to target something, but we are not sure about his target. We are not ruling out his connection to the recent Coimbatore blast. He is from Karnataka and had travelled outside the state in the last few months. He had recently travelled to Coimbatore and parts of Tamil Nadu. It was a low-intensity bomb. He was headed somewhere. Not sure what was his modus operandi".

According to central intelligence agencies, the suspect had procured a SIM card from Coimbatore under a false name. "His tower locations show, he had travelled across Tamil Nadu. His call logs are being examined to find his associates in Tamil Nadu, sources told NDTV.

Two people - the autorickshaw driver and a passenger - were injured when the vehicle exploded near a building where construction work is going on.

CCTV visuals from the location, shared by the police, showed the autorickshaw catching fire following what appeared to be a minor explosion.

"The driver alleged he spotted the fire. They (driver and passenger) are undergoing treatment and are unable to speak now. We request the public not to spread rumours. They should remain calm and not panic. We will update once we speak to them," city Police Commissioner N Sasikumar had said.