Bengaluru: NIA conducted searches at multiple locations in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka in connection with the Coimbatore car bomb and Mangaluru blast cases on Wednesday.

The NIA conducted searches at 32 locations in Tamil Nadu and Kerala and eight locations in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka in two separate cases.

Searches conducted at 32 places relates to a bomb blast in a car laden with explosives in front of Kottai Eswaran Temple of Coimbatore District.

The accused, Jamesha Mubeen after swearing Bayath (allegiance) to ISIS was planning to carry out a suicide attack on October 23, 2022 and cause extensive damage to the Temple Complex with the intention to spread terror among a section of the society.

This case was initially registered as FIR at Ukkadam police station in Coimbatore district, and re-registered by NIA on October 27, 2022.

Searches held at eight places relate to a Pressure Cooker bomb/improvised explosive device (IED) blast that took place in a moving auto rickshaw in Mangaluru City, on November 19, 2022, while the accused was carrying the bomb for planting it in a public place.

This case was initially registered as FIR at Kankanady police in Mangaluru, and re-registered by NIA on November 23, 2022.

During the searches, NIA seized a large number of digital devices and cash amounting to 4 lakh rupees in 2 cases.

Further investigations in these two cases are in progress.

(With UNI inputs)