Bengaluru Rameshwaram Cafe blast case: NIA conducts raids in Hubballi, Shivamogga and Bengaluru
NIA conducts raids in Bengaluru and Tamil Nadu following new leads in the Rameshwaram cafe blast case. Two additional suspects were linked to the incident, prompting searches and detentions. The main suspect's house in Bengaluru was raided, and two individuals were detained for questioning. The bomber, believed to have links to Tamil Nadu, remains at large.
FollowBengaluru: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is reportedly conducting a raid in five places in Bengaluru in connection with the Rameshwaram cafe blast case.Â
The NIA sleuths also conducted raids around 10 locations in Chennai and Ramanathapuram in Tamil Nadu, according to reports. The raids began early this morning, following recent discoveries by the NIA linking two additional suspects to the Rameshwaram Cafe blast. These suspects were found to have resided in a lodge in Triplicane, Chennai, earlier in January.
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The suspect's house was raided early in the morning, and the NIA raided the house of the main suspect, Mahbub Pasha. Mehboob's house in Gurappanapalaya, Bangalore, was raided and checked. Searches have been conducted at many places in Theerthahalli of Shivamogga district. The attack took place on a house on Soppugudde-Market Road in Theerthahalli. It is learned that the authorities carried out the raid using the local police.
The raids took place in Tamil Nadu based on intelligence information that the two suspects were staying in Chennai. The Central Anti-Terrorism Investigation Agency, which has already identified the prime suspect, is yet to trace and arrest him. A terrorist wearing a cap and a mask had come to the cafe on March 1 and carried out the blast.
The NIA recently detained two individuals suspected to be connected to the incident. Two persons were apprehended on Saturday evening for questioning regarding their alleged association with the assailant. Sources within the NIA have clarified that the detained individuals are undergoing interrogation procedures and have not been formally arrested. The agency aims to gather crucial information about the bomber and the circumstances leading to the attack from these detainees.
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According to the reports, the bomber came from Tamil Nadu and planted the bomb before escaping. They stayed in Tamil Nadu for two months before the blast. The suspect left a hat near a religious place three kilometres away from the cafe with the number 10 on it, then changed clothes and left. Shabbir was arrested in Bellary on March 13 by NIA officials investigating the case. DNA testing on a hair sample from the hat might help trace the suspect's family.
The bomb was likely made from locally available materials like potassium nitrate and hydrogen peroxide. Police are investigating possible links to ISIS due to similarities with other lone bomber cases. Over 20 threatening emails received in the past two years are also being looked into for connections to the bomber. If the suspect isn't found, authorities plan to release a diagram of the bomb.
