Rameshwaram Cafe blast: NIA arrests 2 accused including mastermind

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday (April 12) arrested the man who placed a bomb that exploded in a popular eatery in Bengaluru along with the mastermind from West Bengal.

The arrests of Abdul Matheen Taha and Mussavir Hussain Shazib, however, set off a political slugfest involving the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the West Bengal government.

The arrests

The two men were found holed up early on April 12 in a hotel Contai (Kanthi) in East Midnapore district where they had taken false identities.

The NIA said it swooped on the two in connection with the March 1 bombing at the Rameshwaram Café in Bengaluru which left nine people wounded during lunch hour and sparked panic.

The bombing

Shazib is said to have placed the IED at the café while Taha is accused of being the brain behind the planning, execution of the blast and subsequent evasion from the law.

The agency said it got able support and “energetic co-ordinated action and co-operation” from Central intelligence agencies and police forces in West Bengal, Telangana, Karnataka and Kerala.

Political row over arrests

The moment the twin arrests became known, the IT cell of the BJP got into the act, suggesting that West Bengal had become a sanctuary for terrorists.

"NIA detains two chief suspects in the Rameshwaram Cafe blast, bomber Mussavir Hussain Shazib and accomplice Abdul Matheen Ahmed Taahaa, from Kolkata. Both likely belong to ISIS cell in Shivamogga, Karnataka. West Bengal, unfortunately, under Mamata Banerjee, has become a safe haven for terrorists," wrote BJP's social media head Amit Malviya on X (Twitter).

The West Bengal Police hit back, saying the state was never a safe haven for those spewing terror. A statement also underlined that the two men were taken into custody in a joint operation of the state police and central intelligence agencies.

"Falsehood at its worst! Contrary to the claims made by @amitmalviya, the fact is that, two suspects in the Rameshwaram Cafe blast case have been arrested from Purba Medinipur in a JOINT operation by the West Bengal Police and the Central Intelligence Agencies.

"The proactive role of WBP in the matter has been officially acknowledged by the Central Agencies. West Bengal has NEVER been a safe haven for terrorists and the state police will continue to remain ever-vigilant in keeping its people safe from nefarious activities," West Bengal Police wrote on X.

To this, Malviya replied, "Who is the Chief Minister and Home Minister of West Bengal? Has Mamata Banerjee resigned or too incompetent to defend her poor track record on law and order? Every time she has no answers, which is often, she hides behind @WBPolice."

Mamata attacks BJP

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee also spoke about the “prompt response” by her police when it learnt that the two men were hidden in its jurisdiction.

“People of Bengal want to live in peace but the BJP doesn’t like this,” she said.

It was only last week that the NIA identified Taha as the mastermind and Shazib as the bomber. Both are residents of Thirthahalli in Shivamogga district of Karnataka.

The two were allegedly part of another extremist group, Al Hind, earlier and had been on the radar of investigative agencies since January 2020.

Their names also came up during investigation into the earlier murder of a police officer who was shot dead at a check post near the Tamil Nadu-Kerala border.

Reward money

On March 26 this year, Muzammil Shareef, a resident of Chikkamagaluru also in Karnataka, was arrested for giving logistic support to the main accused.

Three days later, the NIA announced rewards Rs 10 lakh for information leading to the arrests of Taha and Shazib.

The NIA conducted searches at 18 locations in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh as part of its investigations.