In a significant development in the Bengaluru cafe bombing case, the Special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court has placed the prime suspects, Mussavir Hussain Shazib and Abdul Matheen Taha, under NIA custody for ten days. The judge, overseeing proceedings in Bengaluru, took this action following arguments presented by senior counsel Prasanna Kumar on behalf of the NIA.
The accused were produced before the magistrate court judge at his residence in the Koramangala locality of Bengaluru on Saturday, April 13. Prior to their court appearance, the NIA had taken the duo to an undisclosed location for questioning.
The investigation revealed that Shazib and Taha, along with their associates, are believed to have links with international terror organizations. They are accused of preparing bombs domestically and coordinating explosions targeting local establishments, using local youth recruited for these acts. The authorities were able to disrupt the activities of this group early in their planning stages, preventing more severe attacks.
Taha, who holds an engineering degree, allegedly specialized in creating low-intensity Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). On March 1, one such device exploded inside a bag at the Rameshwaram cafe in Bengaluru, significantly damaging the establishment’s roof and structure. Fortunately, there were no casualties.
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The NIA has indicated that further investigations will focus on tracing the financial transactions and local networks supporting these suspects. The capture of Shazib and Taha followed a meticulous month-long manhunt that concluded with their arrest in a Kolkata hideout. It was suspected that the pair were planning an escape to Bangladesh through West Bengal, which the NIA managed to thwart just in time.
