Youth killed in car blast in Coimbatore
The Hindu Bureau
COIMBATORE
A 25-year-old man was
killed in a car blast in front
of a temple in Coimbatore,
Tamil Nadu, on Sunday.
While the police said
the blast was possibly trig-
gered by an LPG cylinder
in the vehicle, a search at
the house of the deceased
— identified as Jameesha
Mubin, a resident of Ukka-
dam here — led to the de-
tection of a huge quantum
of explosive materials.
The car exploded in
front of the Kottai Easwa-
ran Kovil near the Town
Hall, a busy commercial
area, around 4 a.m.
An LPG cylinder in the
car exploded while anoth-
er one was found unex-
ploded at the blast site.
Director-General of Pol-
ice C. Sylendra Babu told
journalists that the blast
took place when Mubin
Charred: The mangled remains of a car that was gutted in an
explosion in Coimbatore on Sunday morning. SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
was travelling with the two
cylinders and other items,
including nails and mar-
bles. He refused to com-
ment if it was a planned at-
tack that went awry.
‘Future attack’
The DGP, however, said
the police found a cache of
explosive materials, in-
cluding potassium nitrate,
aluminium powder, sul-
phur and charcoal, from
the house of Mubin, an en-
gineering graduate.
“Going by the materials
seized from his house, this
[materials in the car] could
have been meant for a pos-
sible plan [for attack] in
the future,” he said.
According to Mr. Babu,
Mubin had to cross a pol-
ice checkpost in the area.
The explosion could have
happened when he tried
to get away, he said.
Mr. Babu said Mubin did
not have involvement in
any case in Coimbatore
unlike some of his friends.
However, police sources
claimed that the National
Investigation Agency had
questioned Mubin once in
2019. Six special teams
worked together from
morning and traced the
identity of Mubin (whose
body was charred), the
ownership of the car and
source of the cylinders.
People, who had access
to the site, said nails and
marbles were found
strewn around the car.
Additional DGP (Law
and Order) P. Thamarai-
kannan coordinated the
probe with Coimbatore Ci-
ty Police Commissioner V.
Balakrishnan, West Zone
IGP R. Sudhakar and other
senior officers.
RESIDENTS IN SHOCK
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