Police complete interrogation of accused, NIA to begin probe

The National Investigation Agency has registered a fresh First Information Report

The Tamil Nadu Police on Friday completed interrogation of five persons, arrested for their alleged involvement in the car explosion in front of the Sangameswarar temple here on October 23.

The five accused, namely Muhammad Thalha (25), Muhammad Azharudheen (23), Muhammad Riyas (27), Firoz Ismail (27), and Muhammad Nawaz Ismail (27), all hailing from places near Ukkadam, were produced before the fifth judicial magistrate court in the evening after completion of three days of police custody. The court remanded them in judicial custody.

The seventh accused, Afsar Khan, 28, of Vincent Road near Ukkadam, was remanded in judicial custody by the same court on Thursday evening, following his arrest earlier in the day.  

City Police Commissioner V. Balakrishnan said the police were in the process of handing over documents, records, and other materials related to the case to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) which took over the probe and registered a fresh First Information Report on Thursday. The NIA team will verify the case records before commencing the probe.

According to Mr. Balakrishnan, the interrogation of the accused in custody was needed to elicit more information from them and ascertain whether more persons were involved in the crime. Also, the police wanted to ensure that explosive materials sourced by the accused, if any, was left similar to the cache of raw materials seized from the house of Jameesha Mubin, 29, the suspected mastermind of the blast.

On Thursday, Director-General of Police C. Syelndra Babu had a meeting with two NIA officials — Deputy Inspector-General of Police K.B. Vandana and Superintendent of Police T. Sreejith — in the presence of Mr. Balakrishnan, West Zone Inspector-General of Police R. Sudhakar and Coimbatore District Superintendent of Police V. Badrinarayanan.