Explosion in autorickshaw: CM Bommai says suspect had terror links
Ballari (K'taka), Nov 20: Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Sunday said the suspect who allegedly carried out a explosion in Mangaluru had terror links as he had travelled to various places, including Coimbatore in neighbouring Tamil Nadu.
According to the preliminary information, it was an LED-linked instrument, the Chief Minister told reporters here.
The blast occurred on Saturday evening inside an autorickshaw, near a police station, leaving the passenger and the driver injured. Both have been admitted to hospital.
According to police sources, a cooker fitted with detonator, wires and batteries were used to trigger the blast. After the explosion, the interiors of the autorickshaw were badly damaged.
"When the antecedents of the suspect was carried out, it becomes very apparent that the name mentioned in the Aadhaar card found from the spot was different from the person who was carrying it. The suspect had a duplicate Aadhaar card. It had a Hubballi address," Bommai said.
The Chief Minister said more details emerged when the police tracked the original address of the suspect and the locations where he had stayed.
"Prima facie, this is a terror act. The places he had travelled to such as Coimbatore or any other places clearly point to his terror link," Bommai said.
He added that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Intelligence Bureau (IB) officials have also joined the state police in investigating the matter. A four-member team of the NIA has arrived at the spot and are coordinating with the police.
"The suspect is in the hospital. After he regains consciousness, further investigation will be taken up. Investigation will reveal more details. There is a wide network which will be busted," he said.
When his attention was drawn towards the fact that the incident occurred on the day he was in Mangaluru, the Chief Minister said he had attended the programme in the coastal city and returned from there at 3 pm whereas the blast happened after that.
Regarding the terror incident's link with the banned outfit Popular Front of India, Bommai said the investigation will reveal the truth.
Meanwhile, police sources said the suspect had obtained a mobile SIM card using the fake Aadhaar card, which was found from the site of explosion. That SIM card was used everywhere by him, they said.
Sources added that five teams have been dispatched to different locations including Coimbatore to investigate the case.
Police suspect that the person had links with those who had carried out a car blast in Coimbatore in October ahead of Deepavali. On October 23, a youth was charred to death when a cylinder exploded in a moving car outside a temple in Coimbatore. The case is being probed by the NIA.
The police sources suspected that the terror suspect hailed from Shivamogga and might have been involved in the objectionable graffiti in the town.
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KSRTC to run 1000 special services to clear Christmas rush
Bengaluru: The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation will operate 1000 additional special services in view of the Christmas festival.
In addition to the existing schedule, the special services will run on 19.12.2025, 20.12.2025 and 24.12.2025. Further, special buses will be operated from various places of intra & Interstate places to Bengaluru on 26.12.2025 & 28.12.2025.
Special buses will be exclusively operated from Bengaluru Kempegowda Bus Station to Dharmastala, Kukkesubramanya, Shivamogga, Hassan, Mangaluru, Kundapura, Shringeri, Horanadu, Davangere, Hubbali, Dharwad, Belagavi, Vijayapura, Gokarna, Sirsi, Karwar, Raichur, Kalaburagi, Ballari, Koppala, Yadgir, Bidar, Tirupathi, Vijayawada, Hyderabad and other places.
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Special buses from Mysuru Road Bus Station will be exclusively operated towards Mysuru, Hunsur, Piriyapatna, Virajpet, Kushalanagar, Madikeri.
The corporation has also announced a discount of 5 per cent on the fare if four or more passengers book tickets under a single reservation. A discount of 10 per cent will be extended on return journey tickets if onward and return tickets are booked simultaneously.
In addition to the above, special buses will be operated from all Taluk/District Bus Stands in the jurisdiction of KSRTC based on the traffic needs.
