Rameshwaram Cafe Blast Case: NIA arrests two in West Bengal, secures custody

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday arrested the two absconding persons, including the mastermind, in the Bengaluru café blast case from their hideout near Kolkata in West Bengal.

Mussavir Hussain Shazib and Abdul Matheen Taahaa had been wanted for the Rameshwaram Cafe blast case. Both are from Thirthahalli in Shivamogga district.

The NIA Special Court, Kolkata, where the two accused were produced after arrest, has granted three days transit remand to the agency.


The duo had been on the run after setting off the IED blast at the crowded cafe near a tech suburb of Bengaluru on March 1. They evaded the alert police by using fake identities.

While Shazib allegedly placed the IED at the cafe, Taha is said to be the mastermind behind the planning and execution of the explosion. It was Abdul Matheen who also worked on the escape plans and managed to evade arrest all these weeks for himself and his co-accused. The duo, along with their co-accused Maaz Muneer Ahmed, were also involved in terror cases earlier, the NIA said in a press release.

NIA, which had taken over the case on March 3, had identified the two accused, along with Maaz Muneer Ahmed and Muzzamil Sherif, as the terrorists who had played a major role in the March 1 explosion. Muzzamil Sharif was involved in providing logistical support to the other accused in carrying out the IED explosion.

The NIA had, last month, declared a reward of Rs 10 lakh on each of the absconders, and conducted intensive search across the country.

The NIA teams succeeded in their mission with coordinated action from the central intelligence and the police departments of Karnataka, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, UP, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.