In a statement on Friday, the National Investigation Agency said that it has identified the accused persons who carried out the IED blast at Rameshwaram Cafe in Bengaluru as Mussavir Hussain Shazib and co-conspirator Abdul Mateen Taahaa. "Both of them belong to Thirthahalli, Shivamogga District in Karnataka," stated the investigating agency.
In its statement, NIA informed that one Muzammil Shareef from Chikkamagaluru, who extended logistics support to the main accused persons, was arrested on March 26 and was examined in police custody.
It further said, “The case being terror incident, any information on the identity of the witnesses may apart from hampering investigation may also put to risk the individuals being summoned. Also, unverified news items hamper effective investigations in the case. NIA requests the cooperation of all in arrest of absconding accused persons”
"As part of efforts to locate and arrest the absconding accused persons, NIA conducted searches on 18 locations in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh. Further, rewards of rupees Ten Lakhs on each of the absconders was declared on March 29," the statement further read.
NIA’s statement came soon after a report was published on Kannada news website Public TV stating that the investigation agency had detained a BJP worker named Sai Prasad in the case.
Citing its sources, India Today, also published a similar report stating, "The (BJP) worker was allegedly named by two mobile shop workers, who were questioned by the NIA last week. Sai Prasad has been taken for questioning by the NIA and is allegedly linked to two suspects in the Rameshwaram Cafe blast case. Last week, the NIA conducted raids in Shivamogga and raided a mobile store and the houses of two suspects."
At least 10 people were injured in a low-intensity explosion that occurred at the Brookfield outlet of the Rameshwaram Cafe In Bengaluru on March 1.
