NIA Arrests Rameshwaram Cafe Blast Mastermind And Bomber From West Bengal

Bengaluru: In a massive breakthrough, National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested two primary suspects linked to the Rameshwaram Cafe blast case, said officials on Friday. The suspects were picked from Kolkata, West Bengal, they added. 

The anti-terror agency arrested Mussavir Hussain Shazib and Abdul Mateen Taha, the two masterminds behind the horrific incident inside Rameshwaram Cafe, from Kolkata, based on the information provided by the Intelligence Bureau (IB).  

Confirming the development in the high-profile case, the NIA said, “In a significant development, the absconders in Rameswaram Cafe blast case viz Adbul Matheen Taha and Mussavir Hussain Shazeb were traced out to their hide out near Kolkata and were apprehended by NIA team.”

Mussavir Hussain Shazib is the accused who placed the IED at the cafe and Abdul Matheen Taha is the mastermind behind the planning, execution of blast and subsequent evasion from the clutches of law, the NIA said. 

The anti-terror agency on Friday morning successfully traced 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, Karnataka, and Kerala police,” said the anti-terror agency in an official statement. 

Ten people were injured in the low-intensity blast at the popular cafe in Bengaluru on March 1. The explosion was carried out by triggering an IED bomb using a timer.

Bengaluru Cafe Blast: How NIA Identified Suspects?  

The NIA examined more than 1,000 CCTV cameras in the vicinity and identified the Bengaluru cafe blast suspect as Mussavir Hussain Shazib. He hailed from Shivamogga in Karnataka's Thirthahalli district, confirmed the anti-terror agency. 

The NIA revealed the identity of bomber Shazib after it found the cap the suspect was seen wearing in various CCTV videos, sources said, adding, the cap was purchased from a Chennai mall, thus, implying that the suspect had resided in Chennai for more than a month since January, this year. 

One of Shazib's close aide was also identified by the anti-terror agency, as Abdul Mateen Taha, a native of Thirthahalli. Taha was wanted for the murder of Tamil Nadu police inspector, K Wilson, and stayed with the main suspect in Chennai.

Rameshwaram Cafe Blast: 4 Suspects Caught So Far 

With this breakthrough, the total arrests made in the Bengaluru cafe blast case has gone up to four as earlier the NIA team detained Maz Muneer and Muzammil Shareef.  

The anti-terror agency arrested 30-year-old Shareef in Karnataka for “providing logistical support” for Bengaluru cafe bomb blast. It was the first arrest made by the NIA in the case. 

Based on the statement of Sharif, who hails from Chikkamagaluru, the NIA detained Maz Muneer, who is a suspect in the Shivamogga trial blast and Mangaluru graffiti case.