Bengaluru Cafe Blast Case: NIA Arrests Two Suspects Including Mastermind Near Kolkata

Abdul Matheen Taha, who is believed to be the mastermind behind the planning and execution of the blast, and Mussavir Hussain Shazeb, the accused who placed the IED at the Cafe, had been on the run since the incident.

PTI Photo

In a significant breakthrough in the Rameswaram Cafe blast case, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has successfully apprehended the two absconders, Abdul Matheen Taha and Mussavir Hussain Shazeb, from their hideout near Kolkata, news agency ANI reported. Abdul Matheen Taha, who is believed to be the mastermind behind the planning and execution of the blast, and Mussavir Hussain Shazeb, the accused who placed the Improvised Explosive Device (IED) at the Cafe, had been on the run since the incident. 

After gathering inputs about their movements in Assam and West Bengal, the NIA arrested the accused, carrying Rs 10 lakh cash award. Mussavir Hussain Shazib a.k.a. Shazeb, 30, is a resident of Thirthahalli town in Karnataka's Shivamogga district. His other accomplices are Mohammand Junai Hussain and Mohammed Juned Sayed.

The NIA took over the case on March 3 and identified the main accused, Mussavir, who had carried out the blast. Another conspirator, Abdul Matheen Taahaa a.k.a. Matheen a.k.a. Taha a.k.a. Vignesh. D a.k.a. Sumit., is also wanted in other cases.

Shazib has been using the forged driving license in the name of Mohammed Juned Sayed or other similar forged ID documents to conceal his identity. The accused has been using Hindu identity documents, forged Aadhaar in the name of Vignesh, or other similar forged ID documents to conceal identity.

Earlier, the NIA had announced the arrest of Muzamil Shareef, a key conspirator in the cafe blast case.

The probe has revealed that Shareef extended logistic support to the other two identified accused in the case, involved in an IED explosion in the cafe located at ITPL Road, Brookfield in Bengaluru on March 1.

Several staff members were injured, some of them grievously, in the blast, which also caused extensive damage to the cafe's property.