The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has made its first breakthrough in the case of Bengaluru’s Rameshwaram Cafe blast that took place on March 1. In a press release on Thursday, the agency said that they have arrested a key conspirator following raids across multiple locations.
The agency has identified three conspirators behind the Bengaluru Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast, one of them, Muzammil Shareef, has been under arrest while the other two, Mussavir Shazeeb Hussain and Abdul Matheen Taha, have reportedly absconded.
The NIA, which assumed control of the case on March 3, had previously identified Shazeeb as the primary suspect allegedly responsible for the explosion.
Shazeeb and Taha are alleged to be the founding members of an Islamic State module that originated in the Thirthahalli region of Shivamogga around 2016. Taha first came to the attention of authorities in January 2020 in connection with an IS radicalisation case filed in Bengaluru.
According to the Indian Express report, Shareef’s apprehension follows NIA raids conducted at 18 locations, including 12 in Karnataka, five in Tamil Nadu, and one in Uttar Pradesh.
Additionally, searches were carried out in Karnataka’s Mandya, Chikamagalur, and Bengaluru, with one individual from Chikmagalur summoned by the NIA for further interrogation.
The primary focus of the raids was the residences of Shazeeb and Taha, along with their close associate Sardar Naveed.