The Central government on Thursday ordered a National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe into the October 23 Coimbatore LPG cylinder explosion in a car, considering the possibility of cross-state developments and the role of international elements in the investigation.
The Counter-Terrorism and Counter Radicalization (CTCR) division of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued the order a day after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin recommended a NIA probe in the case.
A top government official said that the "NIA will take over the case very soon".
MK Stalin, in a recommendation letter, to the MHA had requested on Wednesday to transfer the investigation of the case related to the car cylinder explosion in the Ukkadam area in Coimbatore to the NIA and directed police to ensure security in Coimbatore.
Mr Stalin's recommendation followed a detailed review meeting held on Wednesday at the Head Office under the leadership of the Chief Minister regarding the ongoing investigation of the case.
Tamil Nadu Police so far has arrested six people in connection with the case, and have invoked the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
Those arrested are learnt to be associates of Jameesha Mubin, who was charred to death in suspicious circumstances after an LPG cylinder inside a Maruti 800 he was driving exploded near a temple in Coimbatore around 4 am on October 23.
According to police, Jameesha Mubin, 25, an engineering graduate, has been previously questioned by the NIA in 2019 for alleged terror links. His name is mentioned as the primary accused in the case.
Five people arrested on Monday night were Mohammad Thalka, 25, Mohammad Asarudheen, 25, Muhammad Riyaz, 27, Feroz Ismail, 27, and Mohammad Navaz Ismail, 27. However, the sixth person, identified as Afsar Khan, a relative of the dead, was arrested earlier on Thursday. Khan is the cousin of the dead. He was picked two days before by the special investigation team.
On Wednesday noon, police officials also conducted searches on Afsar Khan's residence and took his laptop.
Since the explosion occurred in Ukkadam, a communally sensitive area, the state's top police officers, including Director General of Police (DGP) Sylendra Babu and Additional DGP (law and order) Thamarai Kannan, rushed to the spot.
The DGP on Sunday said the police found materials used to make explosives in Mubin's house in Ukkadam. They seized 75 kgs of potassium nitrate, charcoal, aluminium powder and sulphur which can be used to make explosives.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
LIC Blames "Technical Problem" As Tamil Nadu Protests Website's Switch To Hindi NIA Court Sentences UP Man To 10 Years In Jail For Smuggling Fake Currency Anti-Terror Agency Conducts Searches To Probe Al-Qaida's Terror Activities Amazon Employee Greets Friend At Wedding, Dies Of Cardiac Arrest "Speculative, Inaccurate": Canada Factchecks Own Media Over India Charge Canada Rolls Back Extra Screening For Fliers To India AIBE 19: Last Date To Make Correction In Application Form Ends Today Coldplay Infinity Tickets: What Is It, How To Grab Them For Concerts In India 10 Maoists Killed In Encounter With Security Forces In Chhattisgarh Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.