India's Enforcement Directorate raids Coimbatore homes in terror financing probes

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) carried out coordinated searches at 16 sites across Chennai, Coimbatore, Hyderabad and Mumbai as part of a money‑laundering investigation into the funding of the 2022 Coimbatore car bomb blast. The blast, an ISIS‑inspired suicide attack near the Sangameshwarar Temple in October 2022, was linked to Jamesha Mubeen. The agency says funds were raised through a fake COVID‑19 vaccination certificate racket and through donations and fraudulent investments channeled via Kovai Arabic College, which was allegedly run by promoter Jameel Basha to radicalise youths. Twelve accused, including Mubeen, are reported to have attended sessions at the college.

In a related operation, ED officials raided the Coimbatore residence of Azharuddin, a suspect in the 2019 Sri Lanka Easter Sunday bombings, searching documents, electronic devices and financial records to trace any proceeds of crime linked to that conspiracy. Azharuddin is currently detained in Viyyur Central Prison in Kerala. No details of seizures were released at the time of reporting.