Mangaluru cooker blast: Target was Dharmasthala Temple– Explosive revelations from ED probe

Mangaluru cooker blast: Target was Dharmasthala Temple– Explosive revelations from ED probe

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, Aug 8, 2025: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has revealed explosive details in connection with the cooker bomb blast that occurred on the outskirts of Mangaluru in November 2022. According to the investigation, the accused had originally planned to carry out a blast at Dharmasthala.

The incident in November 2022 involved a low-intensity explosion in an autorickshaw on the city’s outskirts. ED has now frozen ₹29,000 in the bank account of key accused Syed Yasin under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The probe also found that ISIS online handler “Colonel” had sent money to accused Mohammed Shariq, and another accused, Munir, had provided details of illegal bank accounts to facilitate the transfer.

According to ED findings, Dharmasthala temple was the actual target. The accused had planned to explod a bomb inside the temple. However, due to a mistake while setting the timer, the plan backfired. Instead of setting it for 90 minutes, the timer was mistakenly set to 9 seconds, causing the blast to occur prematurely inside the autorickshaw.

Had the plan succeeded, the explosion at the always-crowded Dharmasthala temple could have caused massive disruption. During interrogation, the accused admitted that the cooker bomb was being transported to Dharmasthala in the autorickshaw, but the premature blast thwarted their plot.

The explosion occurred at 4:40 pm on November 19, 2022, within the Kankanady police limits. Following a complaint from autorickshaw driver Purushotham, police registered an FIR. Due to suspected involvement of terror outfits, the case was handed over to the NIA. The ED also initiated a separate investigation due to suspicions of money laundering.

The probe revealed that main accused Syed Yasin and Mohammed Shariq obtained cash by paying commissions to point-of-sale (POS) agents. They had received a total of ₹2.86 lakh, which was used to make the IED bomb, purchase materials online, and rent houses in Mysuru and other locations. Reports indicate they also conducted survey in various parts of Kerala and Tamil Nadu for possible bomb blasts.