Two suspects, including the “mastermind” of the Rameshwaram Cafe bombing, are being held by the NIA near Kolkata

Adbul Matheen Taha and Mussavir Hussain Shazeb, the absconders in the Rameswaram Cafe explosion case, were located and captured by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday from their hiding place close to Kolkata.

Officials added that when their hideout’s location was established, a team was sent to Kolkata, where they were able to capture the two suspects.

The accused, according to the NIA, is Abdul Matheen Taha, the “mastermind” behind the “planning, execution of blast and subsequent evasion from the clutches of law,” while Mussavir Hussain Shazib is suspected of placing the improvised explosive device (IED) in the café.

After the location of their hideaway was confirmed, an NIA team was sent to Kolkata, where they were able to detain the two accused.

The accused who had absconded were found by the NIA early on April 12, 2024, near Kolkata, where they had taken up fictitious identities and were hiding. The NIA said that the West Bengal, Telengana, Karnataka, and Kerala police, as well as the agency’s Central Intelligence agencies, provided enthusiastic coordinated action and cooperation in support of this pursuit, which was successfully completed by the agency.

Nine persons were hurt in the March 1 explosion at the Rameshwaram Cafe in Bengaluru’s IT district; one of them was critically wounded by an IED explosion and spent some time in the intensive care unit. After enjoying a bite in the well-known café, Shazeb was said to have left the bag containing the IED next to the hand washing station. Before entering the café, he was seen getting off a bus.

Abdul Matheen Ahmed Taahaa (L) and Mussavir Hussain Shazib (R) were both taken into custody by the agency.

Mumbai’s Rameshwaram Cafe explosion Suspect boarded a BMTC bus, and their itinerary was tracked
The NIA has declared a reward of Rs 10 lakh for each piece of reliable information that resulted in Taha and Shazeb’s apprehension. Taha is purportedly a member of Al Hind IS, a self-declared terror group that was established in Bengaluru in 2019 by members from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Since 2019, he is allegedly the unifying factor in all terrorist acts in Karnataka. It is said that he has a handler who is presumably abroad.

Abdul Matheen Ahmed Taahaa (L) and Mussavir Hussain Shazib (R) were both taken into custody by the agency.
Following operations in three states, the NIA has nabbed a key conspirator in the Rameshwaram café bombing.