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The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has taken a significant step in the ongoing investigation of the Rameshwaram Cafe blast in Bengaluru, filing a chargesheet against four individuals alleged to be involved in the incident. The chargesheet, filed on Monday, sheds light on a complex network of ISIS-influenced individuals who had planned other attacks, including a failed attempt at the Karnataka BJP office in Malleshwaram on the day of the 'pran pratishtha' ceremony in Ayodhya.
Among those named in the chargesheet is Mussavir Hussain Shazib, who is accused of planting the bomb at the cafe on March 1. The explosion resulted in nine injuries and damage to the cafe. Others named in the chargesheet include Abdul Matheen Ahmed Taaha, Maaz Muneer Ahmed, and Muzammil Shareef. These individuals are currently in judicial custody. The NIA, which commenced its investigation into the Rameshwaram Cafe blast on March 3, conducted extensive technical and field probes, collaborating with various state police forces and other agencies.
Investigations revealed that Shazib, in collaboration with Taaha, had been evading authorities since 2020 following the dismantling of the Al-Hind ISIS module. The NIA's exhaustive search efforts led to their apprehension in West Bengal 42 days after the cafe explosion. Both Shazib and Taaha, hailing from the Shivamogga district of Karnataka, were indoctrinated and influenced by ISIS's extremist ideology. They had previously conspired to undertake a 'hijra' (religious visit) to ISIS-controlled territories in Syria.
The accused were actively engaged in radicalizing other Muslim youth, disseminating ISIS propaganda, which included the other two accused in the chargesheet, Ahmed and Shareef. Shazib and Taaha employed fraudulently obtained Indian SIM cards and established Indian bank accounts under fictitious names, utilizing various Indian and Bangladeshi identity documents downloaded from the dark web.
Investigations further uncovered that Taaha had been introduced by a former convict, Shoaib Ahmed Mirza, to his future handler, Mohammed Shaheed Faisal, who is also an absconder in the LeT Bengaluru conspiracy case. Taaha subsequently introduced Faisal to Mehaboob Pasha, an accused in the Al-Hind ISIS module case, and Khaja Mohideen, the amir of ISIS South India, followed by an introduction to Maaz Muneer Ahmed.
According to the NIA, Shazib and Taaha received financial support from their handler through cryptocurrency. These funds were allegedly utilized by the accused to execute various acts of violence in Bengaluru. Notably, the chargesheet details a failed IED attack on the Karnataka BJP office on January 22, coinciding with the 'pran pratishtha' ceremony at the Ram temple in Ayodhya. Following the failure of this attack, Shazib and Taaha devised the plan for the Rameshwaram cafe blast.
Source: NIA charges four in Bengaluru cafe blast case, links to ISIS attacks