The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday conducted searches at 16 locations across Tamil Nadu, Hyderabad and Mumbai in connection with the 2022 Coimbatore car bomb blast case, officials said.
The blast occurred on October 23, 2022, near the Kottai Eswaran Temple in Ukkadam, Coimbatore. Jameesha Mubin, described as the key conspirator, died in the incident. Several accused have been arrested in the case.
The investigation was later transferred to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which has registered a case and is continuing its probe. Based on these proceedings, the ED has also registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to examine the alleged funding trail.
According to the ED, Mubin allegedly raised money for terror activities through two routes: preparing fake COVID-19 vaccination certificates for those who sought them, and collecting funds by misrepresenting them as donations for a Coimbatore Arabic college.
The agency further said Mubin and 11 others attended classes linked to the Coimbatore Arabic college, both online and in person, and were allegedly guided by a person named Jameel Basha. They were later allegedly radicalised and planned an attack in the manner of ISIS, the ED claimed.
