NIA to take over Mangaluru autorickshaw blast probe

Bengaluru: The Union Home Ministry has acceded to the request from the Karnataka government to hand over the investigation of the Mangaluru cooker blast case to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

Karnataka Home Minister Araga Jnanendra, on Thursday, had said that the state government has taken a decision to hand over the case to NIA and passed the order in this regard.

The state government has written to the Ministry of Home Affairs recommending an NIA investigation into the case, state Home Minister Araga Jnanendra said in a statement.

According to PTI, government sources said that the Additional Chief Secretary in the Home Department in his letter to the Union Home Secretary said the state police has invoked sections 16, 38, and 39 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

“As this is a scheduled offence under section 6 of the NIA Act, 2008, the matter is being submitted for further necessary action,” the ACS wrote in his letter to the Home Ministry recommending an NIA probe.

The Karnataka Director General of Police Praveen Sood had said that the NIA and other central agencies are already working with the state police in cracking the case from day one even before getting a formal direction from the Centre.

The decision had also been taken after the Islamic Resistance Council, an unknown Islamic outfit, claimed responsibility for the November 19 Mangaluru auto blast and warned of another attack in the future, IANS reported.

(With inputs from agencies)