2 Key Suspects in Rameshwaram Cafe Bombing Arrested in Bengal and Brought to Bengaluru

Adbul Matheen Ahmed Taahaa and Mussavir Hussain Shazib were arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and brought to Bengaluru late in the evening. The two men had been on the run since an explosion occurred at a popular cafe in Bengaluru on March 1, leaving 10 people injured. According to officials, Taahaa was identified as the mastermind behind the blast, while Shazib was responsible for placing the Improvised Explosive Device (IED) at the cafe.

After conducting searches at 18 locations across Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh, officials were able to trace Shazeb and Taha to Kanthi, also known as Contai, a small city located 180 km from Kolkata. The accused had been staying in a lodge in Bengal, officials reported. A court in Kolkata granted a 3-day transit remand to the two men, enabling the NIA to take them to Bengaluru.

The NIA revealed that Taahaa had also been involved in the planning of escape plans and had managed to evade arrest for several weeks. The agency said that the duo, along with their co-accused Maaz Muneer Ahmed, had been involved in terror cases prior to this incident. The NIA took over the probe on March 3 and had announced a reward of Rs 10 lakh for information leading to the arrest of each of the accused.

Following the reopening of the Rameshwaram Cafe, which suffered extensive damage after the blast, co-founder Raghavendra Rao stated that enhanced security measures, including the use of metal detectors, had been implemented. The cafe also strengthened its security team and considered establishing a separate panel of ex-servicemen to train security guards at all its branches.