Dakshina Kannada (The Hawk): The National Investigation Agency would soon receive the Mangaluru cooker blast case, according to Karnataka Home Minister Araga Jnanendra's statement on Wednesday (NIA).
After a meeting in Mangaluru, Jnanendra told reporters that NIA investigators have been looking into the case ever since the explosion. Additional federal authorities have joined the investigation.
The state police are conducting the initial inquiry, and a decision regarding whether to turn the matter over to the NIA will be made soon.
"I've been to the scene of the bomb and I've been to the hospital (where the injured vehicle driver and terror suspect are being treated)," he said.
The focus will be on those who provided Mohammad Shariq with financial support and enabled him to engage in subversive activities, according to the Home Minister.
"Much more information will surface after the terror suspect recovers. Eight specialised specialists are treating the injured auto driver and suspected terrorist, he said.
The terrorist suspect, according to him, studied mobile repair and identified as a Hindu, he claimed. Mohammad Shariq, the accused, was being watched after receiving bail from the High Court.
He briefly operated a store in Tirthahalli before going missing one day. Despite efforts to find him, he remained evasive. He took identification cards and pretended to be a Hindu. He used alternative means of communication instead of mobile phones. The minister said that nobody had suspected him while he was in Cochin, Coimbatore, or Kanyakumari.
He said that Karnataka will get an NIA unit.
The alleged terrorist's life must be saved, according to DG and IGP Praveen Sood, in order to uncover the full scope of the scheme.
According to N. Shashikumar, the commissioner of police for Mangaluru, eight places have been the target of raids. He stated that although four people have been brought into prison, they are not thought of as suspects.
Jnanendra gave the injured vehicle driver Rs 50,000 in compensation and declared that the government will cover the whole cost of all medical care.
(Inputs from Agencies)