Coimbatore car blast case: Police make breakthrough, five arrested

They allegedly knew very well about the goods they were transporting from his house to the car, and that the cylinders and nails were meant for carrying out explosions.

The Tamil Nadu police have arrested five people in connection with the ongoing terror investigation into the car explosion incident in the city. CCTV footage had emerged on Saturday that showed some men carrying a gunny bag from the house of Jemisha Mubeen, who was killed in the explosion.

Police department officials said that three of those arrested knowingly helped Mubeen, who died in the explosion. They allegedly knew very well about the goods they were transporting from his house to the car and that the cylinders and nails were meant for carrying out explosions.

Police sources further said that one of those arrested had allegedly given a car worth Rs 25000 to be used for this operation but could not collect any money. Another person, identified as Azhar, had allegedly helped in organising these people to help Mubeen.

State Director General of Police C Sylendra Babu had on Sunday said that 'low-intensive' explosive material, including potassium nitrate -- used in making country bombs -- were recovered from the house of Mubeen.

Police said that the surveillance footage near the house showed five people taking out a gunny bag from Mubeen's house around 11.25 pm on Saturday. The cylinder explosion inside the car happened in the busy and communally sensitive Ukkadam area near Kottai Eswaran Temple at around 4 am on Sunday.

To note, Mubeen was, in 2019, investigated by the National Investigation Agency but was not arrested for want of evidence. Ever since then, he had maintained a low profile. Police claim that he was kind of self-radicalised. However, the police have ruled out a suicide attack attempt. 

A resident of Ottupattarai in Coonoor, Mubeen had been residing there for the last four months. He was charred to death when a gas cylinder in the car in which he was travelling exploded on Sunday. Nails, marbles and some other items were found in the vehicle, the police had claimed earlier.

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Leader of Opposition and AIADMK interim general secretary K Palaniswami called for an independent probe to ascertain whether the incident was an accident or a conspiracy. Training his guns at Chief Minister M K Stalin, Palaniswami alleged that instances of bomb blasts become routine and recurring whenever the DMK assumes power in Tamil Nadu.