COIMBATORE: The National Investigative Agency (NIA) sleuths from the agency’s Kochi unit initiated an early morning search at seven different places in the city, looking for the clues in connection with the April's Sri Lanka serial bomb blasts.
The searches were carried out on the suspicion that they could have a connection with the National Thowheed Jamaat (NTJ) leader Zahran Hashim, who was the mastermind behind the blasts targeting churches and hotels in Colombo.
A team of officials separately reached the destinations on early hours of Wednesday with the help of Coimbatore city police.
Team of officials conducted a search at different places in Podanur, Ukkadam and Kuniyamuthur. They conducted searches at selective houses, belonging to the suspects.
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According to the sources, the NIA sleuths conducted raids at residences in Podanur belonging to Sadhaam, Akbar and Akram Jintha.
Houses of Abubakkar Siddiqui and Azharudheen, located at Kuniyamuthur and Anbu Nagar in Ukkadam , apart from two houses belonging to Idhayathullah and Shahimsha at Al Ameen colony near Ukkadam.
"The person Akram Jintha, one of the accused in the murder of atheist H Farook, who was brutally murdered by a gang in March 2017. NIA Kochi unit officials are conducting the search," said city police officials.
The agency is expected to question alleged associates of the Islamic State (IS) Coimbatore module to see if there is any connection to the Sri Lankan attackers, they added.