Bengaluru cafe blast: 2 suspects including ‘mastermind’ detained near Kolkata
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Bengaluru: Adbul Matheen Taha and Mussavir Hussain Shazeb, the absconders in the Rameswaram Cafe blast case, were located and captured by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday from their hiding place close to Kolkata.
Officials added that when their hideout's location was established, a team was dispatched to Kolkata, where they were able to capture the two suspects.
The accused, according to the NIA, is Abdul Matheen Taha, the "mastermind" behind the "planning, execution of blast and subsequent evasion from the clutches of law," while Mussavir Hussain Shazib is suspected of placing the improvised explosive device (IED) at the café, the New Indian Express reported.
After the location of their hideaway was confirmed, an NIA team was sent to Kolkata, where they were able to detain the two accused.
The accused who had absconded were found by the NIA early on April 12, 2024, near Kolkata, where they had taken up false identities and were hiding. "This pursuit, successfully accomplished by NIA was ably supported by energetic co-ordinated action and co-operation among the agency, Central Intelligence agencies and the West Bengal, Telangana, Karnataka and Kerala police," said the NIA.
Nine persons were hurt in the March 1 explosion at the Rameshwaram Cafe in Bengaluru's IT district; one of them was critically injured by an IED explosion and spent some time in the intensive care unit. After enjoying a bite in the well-known cafe, Shazeb was said to have left the bag containing the IED close to the hand washing station. Before entering the cafe, he was seen getting off a bus.
The NIA has declared a reward of Rs 10 lakh for each piece of reliable information that resulted in Taha and Shazeb's apprehension. Taha is purportedly a member of Al-Hind IS, a self-declared terror group that was established in Bengaluru in 2019 with members from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Since 2019, he is allegedly the common thread in all terrorist acts in Karnataka. It is said that he has a handler who is presumably abroad.