Rs 10 Lakh Reward Offered For Information On Rameshwaram Cafe Blast Suspects

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is seeking public assistance in locating two suspects in the Rameshwaram Cafe blast case.

In a statement released on X, the agency offered a reward of Rs 10 lakh for information leading to the arrest of Abdul Matheen Ahmed Taahaa and Mussavir Hussain Shazib, the two wanted individuals.

Earlier this week, the NIA arrested Muzammil Shareef, a 30-year-old man from Karnataka, for allegedly providing logistical support in the bombing incident on March 1. This marks the first arrest in connection with the case. Shareef was apprehended after the NIA conducted searches at 12 locations in Karnataka, including his residence in Chikmagalur.

Shareef, who holds a diploma in engineering, was previously under investigation in 2020 for his alleged involvement in an Islamic State recruitment plot in south India but had not been arrested at the time. He is accused of supplying materials used in the improvised explosive device (IED) that was detonated at the cafe.

The NIA has identified the man seen planting the bomb on CCTV footage as Mussavir Hussain Shazib, who has been wanted in connection with multiple terror cases in Karnataka since 2020. Shazib, along with Abdul Matheen Taha, is accused of orchestrating the Rameshwaram cafe blast. Both suspects remain at large.

According to the NIA, Shazib and Taha, who are from the Thirthahalli area in Shivamogga district, are linked to several other incidents, including an Islamic State recruitment case, a graffiti case in Mangaluru, an IED testing conspiracy in Shivamogga, and an accidental bomb blast in Mangaluru.

Investigations have revealed that Muzammil Shareef provided support to the two main suspects in the cafe blast case. The explosion resulted in nine injuries.