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Bengaluru: A special NIA court Monday convicted Mohammed Shariq, the prime accused in 2022 Mangaluru pressure cooker blast case, under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and IPC, handing 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment and imposing a fine of Rs 94,000. Shariq, who pleaded guilty in Dec last year, is currently lodged at Bengaluru Central Prison. On Nov 19, 2022, an improvised explosive device kept in a pressure cooker exploded in an auto rickshaw in the Kankanady area of Mangaluru, injuring Shariq, the passenger, as well as driver Purushotham Poojary. NIA said Shariq intended to plant the bomb at Kadri Manjunatha temple to foment communal tension, but it exploded earlier because of a mix-up while scheduling the timer – instead of 90 minutes, he set 9 minutes as the timer for the bomb to go off. Special public prosecutor P Prasanna Kumar told TOI that besides collecting evidence against Shariq, they examined 45 witnesses. Realising that “a tight case” had been built against him. Shariq pleaded guilty as charged.
