The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has made significant progress in the investigation of the blast at Bengaluru's Rameshwaram Cafe, arresting two key suspects in Kolkata almost a month after the attack. Mussavir Hussain Shazeb and Abdul Mateen Taha, identified as the perpetrators of the blast, managed to evade authorities by traveling through multiple states using various modes of public transportation.
Shazib, who placed the Improvised Explosive Device (IED) at the cafe, embarked on a journey from Bengaluru, taking state transport buses to Goraguntepalya and then to Tumkur. From there, he traversed through Ballari and Kalaburagi in Karnataka, crossed state borders into Andhra Pradesh, and finally reached Kolkata via Odisha.
On the other hand, Taha chose a different route, traveling through Tamil Nadu to reach Kolkata. Despite their efforts to remain undetected, NIA officials, aided by central intelligence agencies and police from several states, apprehended the duo in Kolkata, where they had taken refuge in a clandestine hideout.
The arrests of Shazib and Taha mark the second and third apprehensions in the case, following the earlier arrest of Muzammil Shareef, who provided logistical support to the perpetrators. The blast, which occurred on March 1 at Rameshwaram Cafe, injured ten individuals, including customers and staff, though no fatalities were reported.
The successful operation by the NIA was made possible through collaboration with central intelligence agencies and state police from West Bengal, Telangana, Karnataka, and Kerala, underscoring the coordinated effort to bring the perpetrators of the attack to justice.
