NIA officials reach Coimbatore

A team of officials from National Investigation Agency (NIA) has reached Coimbatore on Wednesday to investigate the cylinder explosion killing one person at Kottaimedu in the city. The state police have so far arrested five people under UAPA.

Cylinders which were carried in the car, had exploded at Kottaimedu in the city on October 23 and the person, who drove the car, Jamesha Mubin, 25, died on the spot. As police had found two cylinders from the spot, initially it was suspected to be an accident. But the incident had aroused suspicions soon and Tamil Nadu Director General of Police (DGP) Sylendra Babu reached Coimbatore immediately. He then formed six special teams to investigate the case.

When forensic team investigated the spot, they had found iron needles and phosphorous iron bombs among others. When police searched the deceased’s house at Kottaimedu, they had found potassium chloride, Aluminium Nitrate and Sulphur that were required to make country bombs.

CCTV footage collected from the locality showed that the deceased along with five others were loading a sack into the car from his house on the day of the accident. Subsequently, police arrested five others – Mohammed Talqa, 25, Mohammed Asaruddin, 23, Mohammed Riyas, 27, Biros Ismail, 27 and Mohammed Nawas Ismail, 26 - found on the CCTV footage under UAPA. They were produced before the Judicial magistrate and remanded in prison.

Meanwhile, a NIA team including DIG and superintendent Sreejith had reached Coimbatore. They checked the samples that were collected from the deceased’s house. Police commissioner Balakrishnan said that the state police is still investigating the case and it has not yet been transferred to the NIA.

On Wednesday, the Chief Minister MK Stalin chaired a meeting with Chief Secretary Irai Anbu, DGP Sylendra Babu, additional principal secretary to home department Paneendra Reddy, additional DGP to home department Davidson Devasirvadam and other higher officials to discuss the incident. Discussions were carried out to prevent similar incidents in the future. Earlier, the Chief Secretary held a separate meeting with the DGP in the presence of officials from the home department.