Two men responsible for the bombing at Bengaluru’s Rameshwaram Cafe on March 1 were arrested in Kanthi, East Midnapore district of Bengal.
The NDTV reported that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) announced the arrests of Mussavir Hussain Shazeb and Abdul Matheen Taha on Friday morning. The operation involved multiple agencies from Bengal, Karnataka, Telangana, and Kerala.
Evidence suggests Shazeb physically planted the bomb, hidden in a backpack, while Taha orchestrated the plot. This incident marks the second and third arrests related to the attack, following the earlier capture of Muzammil Shareef, who provided logistical support.
The suspects, originating from Shivamogga district in Karnataka, were located after searches in 18 sites across Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh.
The explosion injured ten people, comprising both customers and staff. Thankfully, no fatalities occurred as the explosive was strategically placed in a less crowded part of the cafe, near a large pillar that absorbed much of the blast impact.
Read: Bengaluru Cafe Bomb Blast Injures Nine; CCTV Captures Panic
Following the incident, the NIA disseminated photos and videos of the suspects captured on Bengaluru’s CCTV. One clip showed an accused wearing a face mask boarding a bus.
Authorities had offered a ₹10 lakh reward for information leading to their capture. They also interrogated the suspects’ acquaintances, including school and college friends.
Rameshwaram Cafe, significantly damaged, reopened eight days after the blast with heightened security measures like metal detectors.
Co-founder Raghavendra Rao stated, “We have strengthened our security team and are setting up a panel of ex-servicemen to train our security guards at all branches.”
The Bengaluru Police had previously filed charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Explosives Substances Act due to the cafe explosion.
