Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Apr 17: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday filed its fourth supplementary charge sheet in the 2022 Coimbatore car bomb blast case, naming five more individuals for their alleged involvement in the ISIS-inspired terror attack that targeted a Hindu temple.
Those newly charged include Sheikh Hidayathullah, Umar Faaruq, Pavas Rahman, Sharan Mariappan, and Aboo Hanifa. The agency has now charge-sheeted a total of 17 individuals in connection with the case.
According to the NIA, the accused were engaged in terror financing and plotting the attack that struck the Arulmigu Kottai Sangameshwarar Thirukovil temple in October 2022. The suicide bomber, Jamesha Mubeen, who used a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED), was killed in the explosion.
The fresh charge sheet reveals that Hidayathullah and Faaruq, who were already facing earlier charges, orchestrated a fake Covid-19 vaccine certificate scam during 2021–2022. The scam’s proceeds were allegedly used to purchase bomb-making materials and other resources for the attack. Pavas Rahman and Sharan helped run the scam, while Aboo Hanifa provided funding for the fraudulent operation.
NIA investigations show that Mubeen had pledged allegiance to ISIS and intended to attack “non-believers” as part of his extremist agenda. The agency also found that key planning meetings were held at Viyyur High-Security Prison and Sathyamangalam Reserve Forest. The attack was reportedly intended as retaliation for the arrest of Mohammed Azharuddin, an ISIS-linked ideologue detained by the NIA in 2019.
Charges against Mubeen were dropped posthumously, as he died in the blast.