TAMIL Nadu Police is conducting searches at various locations in the State, including Coimbatore, following reports of the Mangalore blast accused having Tamil Nadu connections.

Coimbatore blast accused Jameesha Mubin, who died in the blast, and the Mangalore blast accused Mohammed Shariq had met in Siringanallur in September. Sources in the Central agencies also told IANS that both Jameesha Mubin and Mohammed Shariq had received funds from a Dubai-based operative, Arafat Ali, who was controlling both the operatives who were trying for lone wolf attacks.

Arafat Ali was an accused in a case registered in Mangalore in 2020 November and has been absconding since then.

The indications of both these killers being on the payroll of an international terror outfit has also not been ruled out by the central agencies. After the agencies revealed that the Mangalore blast accused Shariq had a support base in Tamil Nadu, the state police stepped up vigil and are conducting checks in lodges and hotels across the state.

The check posts bordering Kerala are also under tight vigil with a DySp-level officer leading the operations in each check post.

Meanwhile, the Mangaluru autorickshaw blast case will be formally handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) soon, Karnataka DGP Praveen Sood said here on Wednesday.

State Home Minister Araga Jnanendra visited the blast spot on the outskirts of the city, along with Sood, and also the hospital where the auto driver Purushottam Poojary is being treated.