NEW DELHI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday said that it had tracked down and apprehended the absconders in the Rameswaram Cafe blast case, Adbul Matheen Taha and Mussavir Hussain Shazeb from their hide out near Kolkata.
Officials said once the location of their hideout was confirmed, a team was sent to Kolkata and the two accused were apprehended by them.
According to the NIA, Mussavir Hussain Shazib is the accused, who placed the Improvised Explosive Device (IED) at the café, while Abdul Matheen Taha is the 'mastermind' behind the “planning, execution of blast and subsequent evasion from the clutches of law”.
Following confirmation of their hideout location, a team from the NIA was dispatched to Kolkata, where they successfully apprehended the two accused.
"In the early morning hours of April 12, 2024, the NIA were successful in tracing the absconding accused near Kolkata where they were hiding with their false identities. 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, Telengana, Karnataka and Kerala police," said the NIA.
The Rameshwaram Cafe blast on March 1 in the IT hub of Bengaluru had
injured nine people, one of them had borne the brunt of the IED explosion and was in the ICU for some time. Shazeb had allegedly kept the bag with the IED near the hand wash area after having a snack at the popular cafe. He was spotted deboarding a bus before getting inside the cafe.
The NIA had announced an award of Rs 10 lakh each for credible
information leading to the arrest of Taha and Shazeb. Taha allegedly belongs to a self proclaimed terror outfit Al Hind IS, which was formed in Bengaluru with cadres from Karnataka and Tamil Nadu in 2019. He is said to be the common thread in all terrorist activities in Karnataka since 2019. He reportedly has a handler, who is believed to be overseas.
