Ebin Paul
Police sources said Sections 15 and 18 of UAPA for committing a terrorist act and conspiracy, respectively, will be invoked against Paul.
The anti-terror law was invoked considering the sensitive nature of the location he targeted, said city police commissioner Kaliraj Mahesh Kumar. There is a suspicion that a large conspiracy was behind the crime, he said. He said it was not a simple incident but a combination of four incidents that took place in the district. “During the probe, we found that certain things outside the district too were targeted,” he added.
Kochi : Kochi city police has invoked Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) against Ebin Paul, who allegedly set fire to a horticulture nursery near Kadavumbhagam Synagogue in the city.
Kumar said it was not just one person behind the crime and the investigation has revealed Paul being instructed to do various tasks. He said the probe has revealed visuals connected to the accused doing recce, the act and the practice before it.
On National Investigation Agency (NIA) being involved, the commissioner said the state too has an agency, anti-terror squad (ATS), to investigate such cases and it had been involved in the case from the beginning. He added that he also received cryptocurrency like USDT. ATS and central agencies were alerted and their involvement was to collect evidence and to probe into the larger angle.