Bengaluru Cafe Blast Case News: In a significant development, the National Investigation Agency or NIA on Friday apprehended two persons, including the “mastermind” in connection with the March 1 Bengaluru’s Rameshwaram Cafe blast case near Kolkata in West Bengal.
The persons have been identified as Mussavir Hussain Shazib, the accused who placed the IED at the Rameshwaram Cafe, and Abdul Matheen Taha, the mastermind behind the planning and execution of the blast, the NIA said in a statement.
“On early morning hours of 12.04.2024, NIA were successful in tracing the absconding accused near Kolkata where they were hiding under false identities. This pursuit, successfully accomplished by NIA was ably supported by energetic co-ordinated action and co-operation between NIA, Central Intelligence agencies and State Police agencies of West Bengal, Telengana (Telangana), Karnataka, and Kerala police,” the NIA statement said.
Mussavir Hussain Shazib and Abdul Matheen Taha
“Mussavir Hussain Shazib is the accused who placed the IED at the café and Abdul Matheen Taha is the mastermind behind the planning, execution of blast and subsequent evasion from the clutches of law,” it added.
The NIA had earlier announced a bounty of ₹10 lakh for information about the bomber in connection with the blast at Bengaluru’s Rameshwaram cafe. The agency also emphasised that the confidentiality of the informants’ identities will be maintained.
NIA released picture of the suspect
The agency also released a picture of the bomber, captured from the CCTV camera footage while keeping a bag in the Rameshwaram Cafe, a popular eatery in Bengaluru’s Brookfield area.
In the picture released by the NIA, the bomber is seen wearing a cap, black pants, and black shoes.
In the post, the NIA also stressed that “any information leading to his (bomber) arrest shall be rewarded”.
The NIA declared the reward three days after the ministry of home affairs (MHA) handed over the probe into the case to the anti-terror agency.
NIA takes over the case
The case was handed over to the NIA on March 3, following the visit of an NIA team at the blast site. The blast took place at the cafe on March 1 in Bengaluru’s Whitefield area, where several people were injured following an explosion that occurred during the busy lunch hour.
Earlier, the Bengaluru Police had registered a case under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Explosives Substances Act in connection with the explosion at the cafe.
The blast took place at 1pm on March 1 and the police also found a suspect in the CCTV camera footage, keeping a bag inside the cafe. The police probe so far has indicated that an IED device with a timer was used to carry out the explosion.
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