Bengaluru cafe blast: NIA arrests key conspirator

New Delhi, March 28

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In a major breakthrough in the March 1 Rameshwaram Cafe blast case, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested a key conspirator following massive raids across multiple locations in three states.

Muzammil Shareef was placed in custody as a co-conspirator after NIA teams raided 18 locations, including 12 in Karnataka, five in Tamil Nadu and one in Uttar Pradesh.

The NIA, which had taken over the case on March 3, had earlier identified the main accused as Mussavir Shazeeb Hussain. It had also identified another conspirator, Abdul Matheen Taha, who is wanted by the agency in other cases also. Both men were on the run.

Searches were conducted in Karnataka’s Mandya, Chikkamagalur and Bengaluru also. The NIA searches were primarily conducted at the houses of three prime suspects in the case, namely Hussain, Taha and their close associate Sardar Naveed.

Shazeeb and Taha are the alleged founding members of an Islamic State module that germinated in the Thirthahalli region of Shivamogga in 2016.

Various digital devices were seized during the searches, along with cash.

Efforts are on to nab the absconding accused and unearth the larger conspiracy behind the blast, sources said.

Investigations have revealed that Shareef had extended logistic support to the other two identified accused in the case, involving an IED explosion at the cafe located at the ITPL road, Brookefield, Bengaluru, on March 1.