Rameshwaram Cafe Blast Case: NIA arrests another accused as ex-Lashkar terror case convict

 

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested another suspect in the Rameshwaram Café blast case on Friday. The suspect is a former convict in a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terror conspiracy case. This arrest came three days after a large-scale crackdown across four states.

Shoaib Ahmed Mirza, also known as Chhotu, a 35-year-old from Hubbali, Karnataka, is the fifth person to be arrested in the Rameshwaram Café blast case.

 

NIA investigations revealed that Mirza, previously convicted in a LeT Bengaluru conspiracy case, became involved in a new plot after his release from jail.

In 2018, Mirza introduced Abdul Matheen Taha to an online handler believed to be abroad and provided an email ID for encrypted communication. Taha was arrested on April 12 in Kolkata along with co-accused Mussavir Hussain Shazib.

The blast, caused by an improvised explosive device (IED) at a cafe on ITPL Road, Brookfield, Bengaluru, injured several customers and staff members.

 

The NIA conducted searches at 29 locations across India in the investigation of the Rameshwaram Café blast on March 1. They are still probing the handler's involvement and the broader conspiracy behind the blast, which caused injuries and significant property damage.

 

On Tuesday, the NIA carried out raids in several states to unravel the complete conspiracy behind the blast and to identify other conspirators involved in "handling the accused from abroad." NIA teams searched 11 locations in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh in connection with the case. They conducted thorough searches at places linked to 11 suspects.

“The NIA on Tuesday cracked down on multiple locations in four states as part of its efforts to uncover the entire conspiracy behind the Rameshwaram Cafe blast case and to identify the other conspirators involved in handling the accused from abroad,” the NIA said in a statement.

 

On March 3, the NIA assumed control of the case. Then, on April 12, they apprehended two significant suspects, Abdul Matheen Ahmed Taahaa, believed to be the mastermind, and Mussavir Hussain Shazib, suspected to be the attacker. The arrest took place in Kolkata, where the duo had been hiding under false identities. Both individuals hail from Thirthahalli in the Shivamogga district of Karnataka. Authorities state that they are associated with an Islamic State group based in Shivamogga.