In the midst of recommending the cylinder blast case in Coimbatore to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), the Tamil Nadu police have on Thursday - October 27 arrested the sixth person in connection with the case. During the wee hours of Sunday - October 23, the cylinder in a car exploded in Ukkadam, Coimbatore and the attack killed 29-year-old Jameesha Mubin.

The horrific incident sparked a public outcry across the state as it happened on the occasion of Diwali and after taking up the case, the Coimbatore police arrested five persons in connection with the case. They were apprehended based on the CCTV footage where they were seen carrying a gunny bag from Mubin's residence during the night hours of Saturday. 

The police conducted a raid at Mubin's residence and found the substances that were used to produce country bombs. The shocking development triggered outrage with the opposition parties saying it was a terror attack and that Mubin was investigated by NIA in 2019. The police arrested five people on Monday and now, the officials have apprehended the sixth person in the case. 

According to reports, the police arrested a person named Afsar Khan on Thursday and he was a relative of Jamesha Mubin. The officials said Khan played a very important role in the plot. Police had earlier said that they had seized around 75 kgs of materials including potassium nitrate, aluminium powder, charcoal, and sulphur used in making explosives, from Mubin's house. The reports say that the officials are suspecting that these materials were purchased online through e-commerce websites. 

Under this angle, the police have sought information from e-commerce companies on the delivery of these materials in Coimbatore and surrounding areas over the past two years. The Coimbatore police said that a case against the arrested five people was registered under the anti-terror law, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). It has been reported that the cylinder in the car was exploded when Mubin tried to move past the temple that was close to the crime scene and tried to evade a police check post. 

The officials continued their searches on Thursday at several properties in Azath Nagar, Karumbukadai, Pullukadu, Podanur, and Kuniyamuthur areas of Coimbatore. The searches were conducted by ten special police teams joined by bomb detection and disposal squads.

On Wednesday, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin held a high-level meeting in Chennai during which he reviewed the developments around the situation and the law and order in the state. After the meeting, the Tamil Nadu government has announced that it has made a recommendation to the centre for an NIA probe into the incident.