Rameshwaram Cafe Blast: In a major development in the Bengaluru Rameshwaram Cafe explosion that left nine people injured, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday apprehended two men including the mastermind in connection with the case from near Kolkata in West Bengal. The persons have been identified as Mussavir Hussain Shazib, the accused who placed the IED at the café, and Abdul Matheen Taha, the mastermind behind the planning and execution of the blast, the NIA said.
"On the early morning hours of April 12, NIA traced the absconding accused Abdul Matheen Taha and Mussavir Hussain Shazeb near Kolkata where they were hiding under false identities. NIA was supported by co-ordinated action and co-operation between Central Intelligence agencies and State Police agencies of West Bengal, Telangana, Karnataka, and Kerala police," NIA said as reported by news agency ANI.
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"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," they added.
Last month, NIA detained a man named Mohammed Shabbir from Ballari in Karnataka. His arrest comes days after intensive investigative efforts by the NIA, which took over the case on March 3. The anti-terror agency had been meticulously piecing together evidence since the explosion rocked a popular cafe in Bengaluru on March 1.
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Initially, Shabbir is believed to be an accomplice of the prime suspect, who was captured on CCTV footage leaving a bag at the Rameshwaram cafe premises just before the blast occurred. According to police, the blast was caused by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED). The case was registered under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967 (UAPA) and the Explosive Substances Act.