The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday said that the Shivamogga ISIS Module is suspected to be behind the explosion at Rameshwaram Cafe. A cap left behind by the bomber at the restaurant led the NIA to Chennai.
According to the central probe agency, Mussavir Hussain Shazib and Abdul Mateen Taha, both from the Shivamogga ISIS module, purchased the cap from a mall in Chennai. CCTV footage from the mall shows the duo. It is suspected that the duo spent some time in Chennai in January and February.
NIA officials also plan to compare the DNA found on the cap with that of Shazib’s family members.
Earlier this month, sources had told CNN-News18 that the Shivamogga ISIS Module, which attempted an attack in Mangaluru in 2022, was under investigation. The module was exposed after a pressure cooker filled with explosives detonated in an autorickshaw in November 2022. While Karnataka police and the NIA arrested 10 people in connection with the blast, the suspected handlers remain at large.
Officials are probing the detained suspects from the Shivamogga case to ascertain if they have information about another ISIS module or the suspect captured on CCTV in Bengaluru. The NIA has named Mohammed Shariq, Maaz Muneer Ahmed, Syed Yasin, Reeshan Tajuddin Sheikh, Huzair Farhan Baig, Mazin Abdul Rahman, Nadeem Ahmed, Mohammed Zabilulla, Mohammed Faizal, and Arafath Ali in its charge sheet. They are all in their 20s, with Shariq being a commerce graduate, Maaz Ahmed and Syed Yasin being engineers.
The NIA has taken over the investigation into the blast at Rameshwaram Cafe in Bengaluru. Officials from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs confirmed to CNN-News18 that the case had been transferred to the NIA, and a new FIR filed.
The central agency has been working closely with Bengaluru police since the beginning of the investigation, gathering crucial insights into the crime scene, collecting evidence, and obtaining leads on suspects.
The blast, which occurred around 1 pm on March 1 at the popular eatery in Bengaluru’s Whitefield area, left at least nine people injured.
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