The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday arrested another individual in connection with the Rameshwaram Cafe blast case in Bengaluru. This marks the fifth arrest in the investigation.
The accused has been identified as 35-year-old Shoaib Ahmed Mirza, also known as Chhotu. He is a former convict in a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terror conspiracy case.
“Thirty-five-year-old Shoaib Ahmed Mirza alias Chhotu, a resident of Hubbali city in Karnataka, was previously convicted in a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terror conspiracy case,” the agency said in a statement as per news agency PTI.
According to NIA investigations, Mirza allegedly became involved in this new conspiracy after his release from prison. In 2018, he reportedly befriended and introduced Abdul Matheen Taahaa to an online handler believed to be overseas, the agency stated.
“Mirza further provided an e-mail ID for encrypted communication between the handler and Abdul Matheen Taahaa, who was arrested on April 12 from his hideout in Kolkata (West Bengal) along with co-accused Mussavir Hussain Shazib,” the NIA was quoted by PTI as saying.
On March 1, a low-intensity blast occurred at the renowned Rameshwaram Cafe in Bengaluru, injuring at least 10 people. This latest arrest comes three days after a major crackdown across four states in connection with the Rameshwaram Cafe blast case.
“In a coordinated action, NIA teams searched 11 locations in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, andAndhra Pradesh. Extensive searches were conducted at the premises linked with 11 suspects in the case, in which an IED explosion at the café on ITPL Road, Brookefield in Bengaluru, Karnataka had left several customers and staff members injured,” the NIA said in a statement.
The agency also mentioned that the premises of 11 suspects were searched, including individuals convicted in the 2012 LeT conspiracy case in Bengaluru and Hubli Districts. These targeted searches resulted in the seizure of various digital devices and documents, which the NIA is thoroughly examining.
