Hindustan Times ·
NIA bid to join ED’s probe into 2022 Coimbatore blast sparks turf battle
The ED is investigating a money laundering case linked to the bombing, revealing financial crimes connected to terror activities.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) last week attempted to insert itself in an Enforcement Directorate (ED) interrogation of key suspects in the 2022 Coimbatore bomb blast by an Islamic State-inspired module, a move which was turned down.
The October 23, 2022 vehicle-borne explosion outside the Arulmigu Kottai Sangameshwarar Thirukovil temple in Coimbatore killed only the suicide bomber, Jameesha Mubeen. The NIA, which is investigating the case since then, has arrested over a dozen individuals .
The ED in June filed a money laundering case in the case as it received information on the financing activities of the module involved. It approached a Chennai special court seeking to interrogate four accused persons including key masterminds, Umar Faaruq and Sheikh Hidayatullah. The duo is lodged in Tiruchirappalli central prison. The ED had sought to question two others-- Aboo Hanifa and Pavas Rahman, both lodged in Puzhal central jail.