ED raids 16 locations across 4 cities in 2022 Coimbatore blast funding probe
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted searches at 16 locations across Chennai, Coimbatore, Hyderabad, and Mumbai in a money laundering probe linked to the 2022 Coimbatore bomb blast.
The investigation stems from FIRs filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) regarding the suicide bomb explosion near Sangameshwarar Temple in Coimbatore in 2022. According to ED sources, the attack was carried out by Jamesha Mubeen and others as an ISIS-inspired terrorist act, using a modified car loaded with explosives.
To fund their activities, the accused allegedly operated two main methods: a fake COVID-19 vaccine certificate scam during the lockdown, generating funds from people seeking fraudulent certificates, and through donations or fraudulent investments in Kovai Arabic College, which is suspected of involvement in radicalising youth.
Investigations revealed that 12 accused, including Mubeen, attended sessions conducted by the college online or offline. They were mentored by Jameel Basha, the college promoter, after which they were indoctrinated in Salafi-Jihadi ideology and conspired to commit the terror attack in support of the proscribed terrorist organisation ISIS, the ED stated.
