The National Investigation Agency (NIA) said on Friday that it has apprehended the main culprits behind the explosion at Rameshwaram cafe in Bengaluru.
According to officials, the two key absconders in the Rameswaram Cafe blast case, identified as Adbul Matheen Taha and Mussavir Hussain Shazeb, were traced out to their hideout near Kolkata and were arrested by the NIA team.
Mussavir Hussain Shazib is accused of placing the Improvised Explosive Device (IED) at the cafe, while Abdul Matheen Taha is believed to be the mastermind behind the planning, execution, and subsequent evasion from law enforcement.
The NIA revealed that its teams successfully located the fugitives near Kolkata in the early hours of Friday, where they were hiding under false identities.
In a statement, the NIA credited the successful pursuit to the coordinated efforts of NIA, Central Intelligence agencies, and State Police agencies of West Bengal, Telangana, Karnataka, and Kerala.
“This pursuit, successfully accomplished by NIA was ably supported by energetic coordinated action and co-operation between NIA, Central Intelligence agencies and State Police agencies of West Bengal, Telangana, Karnataka, and Kerala police,” the NIA said.
These arrests come after the anti-terror agency widened its investigation into the case, delving into the social circles and past associations of the accused, including their friends from school and college.
As part of its investigation, the NIA intensified its efforts by summoning and scrutinizing acquaintances of both the absconding and arrested suspects.
NIA said that the individuals from various spheres of the suspects’ lives were being called in for questioning to gather crucial evidence and information pertinent to the case.
The agency emphasized the importance of cooperation from all quarters in apprehending the absconding accused persons.
In connection with the Rameshwaram Cafe blast, the NIA had earlier identified the two main suspects, who are residents of Thirthahalli area in Karnataka’s Shivamogga district.
As part of an investigation into Rameshwaram Cafe blast dated March 1 at ITPL Road in Bengaluru’s Whitefield, Bengaluru, the NIA had identified the two key accused persons who carried out the IED blast. The two accused are residents of Thirthahalli area in Karnataka’s Shivamogga district.
Further, as part of the investigation one Muzammil Shareef, a resident of Khalsa in Chikkamagaluru, who extended logistics support to the main accused persons, was arrested on March 26 and was examined in police custody.
As part of efforts to locate and arrest the absconding accused persons, the NIA conducted searches on 18 locations in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh.
Previously, on March 29, the NIA had announced rewards of Rs 10 lakh for each of the two key absconders.
(Inputs from ANI)