ED probe into the 2022 Coimbatore blast finds accused used a fake Covid vaccine certificate scam to fund terror. The money was used to buy bomb materials and support the Madras Arabic College, which indoctrinated youth with extremist ideas.
Enforcement Directorate's terror financial probe into the 2022 Coimbatore bomb blast has revealed that the accused generated funds through fake Covid-19 vaccine certificate scam carried out between 2021-2022 and the money was directly used for the procurement of bombing material as well as to support the activities of Madras Arabic College (also known as Kovai Arabic College).
Investigators in the ED unearthed during the investigation that the accused persons carried out the fake Covid-19 vaccine certificate scam between August 2021 and June 2022 to fund their terror activities. In the scam, the ED found, the accused supplied fake Covid-19 vaccine certificates to people in various parts of Tamil Nadu and Mumbai, who wanted a Covid-19 vaccine certificate without getting vaccinated, in exchange for money. "The proceeds of crime generated from this activity was directly used for the procurement of bombing material as well as to support the activities of Madras Arabic College/Kovai Arabic College," stated the federal agency, which initiated the investigation on the basis of various FIRs registered by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
Role of Madras Arabic College
The agency further revealed that Jameel Basha is the promoter of Madras Arabic College and that the total 12 accused linked to the case, including the suicide bomber Jamesha Mubeen and an arrested preacher Mohammed Azarudeen, were his students. Further, ED found that Basha raised funds for the activities of Madras Arabic College through donations and business investments from his former students, investors and other persons.
"These funds were used to conduct classes under the garb of Arabic education, through both online and physical modes, to indoctrinate gullible youth with extremist ideas," the Central agency pointed out, citing its investigation. Basha, RD, said, in the garb of conducting Arabic classes, promoted Khilafat ideology and martyrdom through jihad and advocating violence and armed struggle to establish an Islamic state in India.
ED's investigation also revealed that the "proceeds of crime generated by Jameel Basha through Madras Arabic College / Kovai Arabic College were used for organising the Arabic classes, foreign travel and personal expenses and investments."
ED Conducts Searches
The information comes as ED's Chennai zonal office on July 30 conducted searches at 15 residential premises located at Chennai and Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, Mumbai in Maharashtra and Hyderabad in Telangana under Section 17(1) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 in connection with money laundering and terror financing investigation related to the Coimbatore bomb blast case.
During the search action, digital devices such as mobile phones and laptops were recovered and seized. Further, incriminating documents related to the monetary transactions and immovable property investments by the accused persons were also recovered and seized.
Background of the 2022 Blast
ED initiated an investigation on the basis of various FIRs registered by the NIA in connection with a suicide VB-IED explosion that occurred on October 23, 2022 near the ancient Arulmigu Kottai Sangameshwarar Thirukovil temple at Coimbatore. The bomb blast was caused by suicide bomber Mubeen, who had pledged allegiance to ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) before his death.
Mubeen and others carried out the attack to avenge the arrest of one Azarudeen, who had deeply inspired them. Azarudeen himself was a radical preacher who conducted religious classes, professing support for ISIS and inducing the participants to further its objectives in India. (ANI)
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