NIA detains one more accused in Rameswaram cafe bomb blast case

New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) detained another suspect in the Rameswaram café bombing case on Friday (May 24) after conducting operations in four states. The accused has been recognized as a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant. The accused, Shoaib Ahmed Mirza, alias Chhotu (35 years old), is from Karnataka's Hubli city. He is the fifth accused to be arrested in this case, and he is already a criminal in the LeT terror conspiracy case.

The NIA investigation discovered that Shoaib Mirza, who was previously convicted in the Lashkar-e-Taiba Bengaluru case, became involved in a new plot after being freed from jail. According to the inquiry, accused Ahmed Mirza introduced Abdul Matheen Taha to an internet handler in 2018 who was suspected of being abroad. Ahmed also provided an email address for secure communication.

Abdul Matheen Taha was detained on April 12 in Kolkata, along with another accused, Musavir Hussain Shajib. On Tuesday (May 21), the NIA raided various states in an effort to uncover the complete plot behind the bomb and identify more suspects. The NIA raided 11 locations in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh in connection with this investigation.

An improvised explosive device (IED) struck the café on ITPL Road in Brookfield, Bengaluru, wounding a number of customers and employees. The NIA searched 29 locations throughout India as part of its probe into the March 1, 2024 bombing at Rameswaram Cafe in Bengaluru. The investigative agency is still looking into the handler's participation as well as the bigger scheme that led to this explosion.