NIA conducts raids at multiple locations in Rameshwaram Cafe blast probe

The searches are being carried out based on specific inputs and information gathered during the questioning of Mussavir Hussain Shazib & Abdul Matheen Taha, who planned and executed the blast

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday carried out raids at multiple locations across different states in connection with its probe into the March 1 blast at Rameshwaram Cafe in Bengaluru, people familiar with the development said.

A low intensity IED bomb exploded at the Rameshwaram Cafe on March 1 leaving nine people injured. (PTI file photo)

The searches are being carried out based on specific inputs and information gathered during the questioning of Mussavir Hussain Shazib and Abdul Matheen Taha, who planned and executed the blast, officials said. They were arrested from a lodge near Kolkata on April 12.

The agency didn’t yet divulge the details of places being raided.

Taha and Shazib, associated with ISIS module in Shivamogga, were caught after a 42-day chase.

The bomb went off at the busy Rameswaram Cafe on March 1 prompting a multi-agency probe.

A preliminary investigation zeroed in on a man who left an unidentified bag near the cash counter.

The CCTV footage showed the suspect, now identified as Shazib, carrying a backpack, wearing a full-sleeved shirt, cap, facemask, and spectacles, travelling in a bus in Tumakuru on the day of blast.

Police recovered a battery and a timer from the blast site, indicating that the explosion was premeditated.

Visuals from the immediate aftermath of the blast showed panicked people running away from the explosion site, sheltering themselves from shattered glass, strewn furniture, smoke, and fire.

A case was registered under the anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Explosives Act in connection with the blast.

As reported by HT on April 21, agencies are trying to identify their elusive online handler codenamed “Colonel”.

Authorities suspect the “Colonel” was in touch with Taha, the alleged main planner, and Shazib, the alleged bomber, since their association with the ISIS Al-Hind module in 2019-20.

Taha and Shazib were previously part of a 20-member Al-Hind module that planned to establish an ISIS province in the jungles of South India, according to an NIA charge sheet.