Bengaluru: A special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court here Saturday reserved order on the sentencing of Mohammed Shariq, prime accused in the 2022 Mangaluru cooker bomb blast case, to April 25.Shariq is currently in judicial custody in Bengaluru central prison. “In April 2024, he claimed innocence before the agency and the court. However, in Dec 2025, he submitted a guilty plea under Section 229 of CrPC. The special court accepted this confession on March 26 and, after hearing final arguments, has now scheduled the final order for late April,” a source said.On Nov 19, 2022, an improvised explosive device (IED) concealed inside a pressure cooker exploded in a moving autorickshaw in Kankanady area of Mangaluru. The device exploded prematurely due to an erroneous timer — reportedly set for 9 minutes instead of 90, said NIA in its chargesheet. Investigations by the NIA revealed that Shariq intended to plant the bomb at Kadri Manjunatha Temple to create communal tension.Both Shariq and the autorickshaw driver sustained serious burn injuries in the explosion. MSID:: 130350694 413 |
