Terrorist Mohammed Shariq Sentenced To Only 10 Years Rigorous Imprisonment In Mangaluru Cooker Blast Case

The special court of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Bengaluru has sentenced Mohammad Shariq, the main accused in the famous ‘Mangaluru Pressure Cooker Blast’ case of 2022, to only 10 years of rigorous imprisonment. According to the statement issued by the National Investigation Agency on Monday (April 27), the court has also imposed a fine of Rs 92,000 on Shariq. The investigation has confirmed that Shariq was inducted into the radical ideology of ISIS by his associate Arafat Ali.

According to the NIA investigation, Mohammad Shariq had hatched a deep conspiracy to promote the terrorist activities of Islamic State in India and create terror in the society through IED blasts. In November 2022, he was traveling in an auto-rickshaw carrying a pressure cooker IED. His intention was to plant this bomb in a temple in Mangaluru. However, due to a timer malfunction, the IED exploded prematurely in the rickshaw itself, causing serious burns to Shariq.

Investigation has revealed that Shariq was not only involved in the conspiracy of bomb blasts, but he was also working to raise funds for Islamic State. To avoid arrest, he obtained SIM cards through fake documents, opened bank accounts and kept changing mobile phones to destroy evidence. Shariq had made his secret hideout in Mysore, from where a huge quantity of material for making IED was recovered. He had conducted recce of sensitive areas of Mangaluru, Davanagere and Udupi. Shariq was working on the instructions of a foreign online handler and was transacting funds for terrorist activities through cryptocurrency.

Mohammed Shariq had earlier denied the allegations against him, but in December 2025 he changed his stance and confessed to all the offenses under Section 229 of the CrPC. The special NIA court has sentenced him under the following sections:

• War against the country and attempt to murder: 10 years rigorous imprisonment each under sections 121A, 122, 120B and 307 of the IPC.

• UAPA: For terrorist acts, funding and membership of a terrorist organization (sections 16, 17, 18, 20, 38, 39, 40) 10 years’ imprisonment.

• Explosive Substances Act: 10 years’ imprisonment under sections 3(a) and 5(a).

• Forgery: 2 years imprisonment for using fake documents.

The court has ordered that all these sentences will run concurrently.

It is noteworthy that members of the Shivamogga Islamic State module of which Shariq was a part, were also found involved in the blast at ‘Rameshwaram Cafe’ in Bengaluru in March 2024. The IED used in the cafe blast was also based on the same technology that Shariq was using in the Mangaluru blast. Terrorists like Musavir Hussain and Abdul Mathin Taha are also connected to this dangerous network.

The NIA said that Shariq’s conviction is a major breakthrough in the ongoing investigation against this entire module, which has exposed a large network involved in anti-India conspiracies.

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