Enforcement Directorate raids multiple cities to trace financing behind 2022 Coimbatore car bomb
The Enforcement Directorate conducted searches in 16 locations across Chennai, Coimbatore, Hyderabad and Mumbai to uncover the money sources that funded the 2022 Coimbatore car bomb attack.
On Thursday, Enforcement Directorate agents launched coordinated raids at 16 sites in Chennai, Coimbatore, Hyderabad and Mumbai, aiming to trace the financial streams that enabled the October 23, 2022 car bomb explosion in front of Coimbatore's Sangameshwarar Temple, which claimed the life of driver Jameesha Mubeen. The National Investigation Agency, which initially registered the case, has filed charges against 17 individuals and is also investigating how sermons at Arabic colleges in Coimbatore and Chennai fostered extremist ideology.
According to ED sources, the terror cell generated money by operating a fraudulent Covid-vaccination drive that produced duplicate certificates, in collusion with certain doctors, and by receiving donations at the Arabic colleges. The illicit proceeds were reportedly used to acquire bomb components and to train the accused at those institutions. While the ED did not reveal the exact locations of the raids, officials indicated that the operation could extend into the following day.
Why it matters
Uncovering the funding network behind the Coimbatore bomb is crucial to preventing future terror attacks and disrupting extremist financing.
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