The Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Bengaluru has provisionally attached ₹29,176 from a bank account belonging to Syed Yasin, an accused in the 2022 Mangaluru autorickshaw blast case. According to investigators, the explosion was accidental, and the pressure cooker bomb was intended to be planted at the Dharmasthala Manjunatha Swamy Temple.
Citing findings by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), the ED stated that the main accused, Mohammed Shariq alias Premraj, was trained online by an ISIS handler known as ‘Colonel’ via encrypted apps like Telegram and Wickr. These sessions reportedly included instructions for assembling improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
Funds for the terror operation were allegedly funneled through crypto transactions, mute accounts, and mule accounts opened fraudulently in FINO Payments Bank. Both Shariq and Yasin are accused of converting cryptocurrency to cash using Point-of-Sale (PoS) agents, earning commissions in the process.
According to ED, over ₹2.86 lakh was transferred by various crypto dealers into mule accounts, and ₹41,680 was withdrawn in cash. These funds were used to buy IED components online, rent safehouses in Mysuru, and conduct reconnaissance across Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka.
Shariq suffered 40% burns when the IED prematurely exploded on November 19, 2022, while he was traveling with it in an autorickshaw. The timer had mistakenly been set for 9 seconds instead of 90 minutes.
Another accused, Maaz Munir, is alleged to have helped Shariq by providing mule account details. Further investigation is ongoing, officials confirmed.