Manguluru cooker blast: Accused Shariq sentenced to 10 years in prison

BENGALURU: A special court in Bengaluru sentenced the accused in the Mangaluru pressure cooker blast case to 10 years in prison. The accused, Mohammed Shariq, was convicted for his role in the explosion that was carried out using a device hidden in a cooker. The verdict comes three years and four months after the incident.

Mohammed Shariq had pleaded not guilty in 2024 during the trial in the case investigated by the National Investigation Agency. The same court also witnessed the dramatic confession of the crime soon after. The accused, who was taken into custody by the NIA after being injured in the blast, is currently in Bengaluru Central Jail.

The blast took place on November 19, 2022, during an attempt to plant a bomb at the Kadri Manjunatha temple. The timer set by the accused showed a glitch, leading to a premature blast inside the autorickshaw in Kankanady. Shariq and the auto driver were seriously injured in the blast. The NIA then took over the investigation. The NIA found that the accused had conducted a mock test of the blast and even stayed in Aluva. The NIA charge sheet stated that Shariq, a native of Shimoga, Karnataka, dared to go ahead with the insidious plan after taking inspiration from the Islamic State.