NIA begins probe in Kovai in connection with Sri Lankan blasts

Coimbatore: The NIA (National Investigating Agency) personnel have started investigating a few Muslim youths in Coimbatore in connection with the Sri Lanka serial blasts.

According to a source, NIA staffers suspect a few Muslims youths to be connected with the terrorist gang involved in the Easter Sunday Sri Lankan serial blasts. Three days before the blasts, a person from Sri Lanka landed in Coimbatore and met a few ISIS sympathizers, it is alleged.

Last September, Variety Hall road police picked up a 7seven-member gang who allegedly planned to murder Hindu leaders here including Arjun Sampath. Later on the case was transferred to the NIA who took the youth into custody, raided their houses and seized electronic devices including hard disks, pen drives, mobile phone sim-cards and laptops containing vital information. Following further investigations NIA confirmed the youths to be ISIS sympathizers.

After tracking their social media accounts, NIA personnel came to know that the gang has Facebook links with a few persons in Sri Lanka who were allegedly planning a huge blast. Though the NIA alerted Sri Lanka through the CBI, the Sri Lankan government was apathetic and did not take the necessary safety measures, added the source.

Meanwhile, the Poonamallee court in Chennai granted bail two months ago to the seven persons arrested in connection with the "plans to murder Hindu leaders". The NIA officials recently investigated six others from Coimbatore in connection with Facebook posts with another group in Sri Lanka.

One among the seven, Ashik, who was released on bail a couple of months ago, told the press, ''I am no way connected with the Sri Lankan blasts. The NIA always suspects and targets Muslim youth in all terrorist activities happening across the country. I was tortured by them when they arrested me in connection with the attempt to murder Hindu leaders."