Bengaluru Cafe Blast: NIA identifies suspect; arrests another for providing logistical support

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has identified the main accused in Rameshwaram Café blast as Mussavir Shazeeb Hussain who placed the bomb in the waiting area of the Bengaluru eatery on March 1. 

According to a report by News18, the agency has also identified Abdul Matheen Taha as a key conspirator. The NIA had named the two Thirthahalli residents in an earlier Al-Hind case charge sheet.

Both the attackers are part of the Shivamogga module of ISIS, the NIA said. Taha is suspected to be the handler in the Mengaluru autorickshaw blast case too. “Both the men (Taha and Hussain) who he duo, still on the run, are also accused of being the masterminds of Mangaluru Cooker Blast case of November, 2022. are on the run,” an NIA spokesperson said. 

The duo are also accused of being the masterminds of Mangaluru Cooker Blast case of November, 2022. 
NIA had scrutinised around 1,000 CCTV grabs which led the agency to Taha’s video caught on a security camera in the RK Salai Mall in Chennai. 

According to the investigations, it is believed that Hussain, Taha, and others stayed in Chennai for at least two months before travelling to Bengaluru and placing the bomb, NIA said.

The blast at Bengaluru’s famous Rameshwaram café took place on March 1 in which nine were injured. No casualties were reported.

In another breakthrough in the investigation, NIA on Wednesday arrested Muzammil Shareef for helping Taha and Hussain. 

Shareef, a resident of Chikkamagaluru town is suspected for being in constant touch with Hussain and providing “logistical support”. 

“In a major breakthrough in the Rameshwaram Café blast case, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday arrested a key conspirator following massive raids across multiple locations in three states,” the agency spokesperson was quoted by News18.

The first arrest in the case came after searches across 18 locations in three states.  

The NIA raided 12 places in Karnataka, five in Tamil Nadu, including one in Uttar Pradesh this week. Raids were carried out at the houses of all three accused, as well as the residential premises and shops of other suspects.

The lodge in Chennai’s Triplicane where Taha allegedly stayed earlier this year was also searched.
The NIA said that digital devices and cash were also found during the raids.
DNA samples has been extracted from the baseball cap which was recovered from a place of worship near the cafe. 

The cap has emerged as key evidence, as the CCTV grabs of the suspect show him wearing the cap. 
Investigators are likely to match the DNA samples with the family members of Shazeeb Hussain to establish the identity of the bomber. 

The probe so far suggests that the limited-edition baseball cap was bought at a Chennai mall by Taha.