Mangaluru blast accused Shariq dealt in Bitcoins for terror activities

BENGALURU, MANGALURU, MYSURU: The accused in the Mangaluru cooker blast case, Mohammed Shariq, was using bitcoins for his dealing in terror activities and never used cash to avoid detection. He had the knowledge of digital currency and transacted through Bitcoin with his contacts in Dubai and other countries, the investigation has revealed.

Shariq is said to have purchased material online and some other raw materials for assebling IEDs directly from shops. He also took the help of four boys to purchase raw materials. The police had recovered a huge cache of bomb-making materials from his rented accommodation in Mysuru.

Police teams are now tracking all his online dealings and are looking for the places from where he purchased sulfuric acid and gelatin sticks.

The explosive material seized from Shariq’s Mysuru accommodation.

Shariq was reportedly upset over the arrest of his friend Maaz Muneer Ahmed. Shariq had planned to carry out a blast together, but police arrested Yasin and Maaz after arresting Zabiulla. Then, Shariq decided to take revenge for the arrest.

Maaz had been indoctrinated to achieve the goal of turning India into an Islamic country. After the arrest of Maaz and Yasin, Shariq decided to continue their work.

Shariq and his friends were using stolen phones for communication.

Police sources said, Shariq worked with some thieves when he needed duplicate Aadhaar and SIM cards, and mobile phones as he did not want to get caught. He had got four stolen Aadhaar cards six months ago from Hubballi and Mangaluru on the advice of Maaz. They stole mobile phones in Tamil Nadu and Mysuru. Shariq started to using Aadhar card after the arrest of Maaz’s arrest.

Shariq had also flashed the memory of the mobile phone to evade detection, sources said. While posing as Premraj Hutagi, he had a picture of the Shiva statue installed at Isha Foundation, Coimbatore, as his display picture (DP) on WhatsApp.

Prasad, the owner of SMM Mobile Repair Training Centre at K R Mohalla in Mysuru, where Shariq took training, said that he claimed to be from Dharwad and that he had got a job at a call centre in Mysuru. Since he had 20 days time, he took up mobile repair training, Shariq had told Prasad.

“He spoke Kannada in the Dharwad accent and nothing about his dressing could give out that he was a Muslim. He would not attend the training sessions properly, but had bought 10 mobile phones to learn repair. On several occasions, he would speak in Tamil on the phone. When asked, he said that he was living in Tamil Nadu for some time and had picked up the language”, Prasad added.

“He didn’t have any friends here and would come alone. When I asked him if he was not going to his hometown for Deepavali festival, he said he will celebrate in Mysuru itself with his friends”, Prasad said.

Security has been increased at all public places in Mangaluru.

Meanwhile, Mangaluru City Commissioner N Shashikumar, who spoke to the media on Tuesday, said, “There is a video of two boys been moving near a liquor store which is going viral on social media. But there is no connection between the accused and the video”.

On Shariq’s health status, he said treatment is still continuing. “The doctors have not given any updates on his health. If they give us permission, we will take him into custody and start questioning him. As for burn injuries, it will take time to heal”, he said.

The autorickshaw driver Purushottam Pujari is responding to the treatment and recovering from the injuries. The Mangaluru city police are keeping an eye on public places like bus stands, railway stations, religious centres, malls and other densely populated areas.

The police chief requested the media not to publicise any unverified videos.