NIA 'detains' four more suspects in multi-State raids in Rameshwaram Cafe blast case

HYDERABAD: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has "detained" four more suspects following raids in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu and other states as part of the investigation into the Rameshwaram Café blast in Bengaluru.

In Anantapur, NIA officers raided the home of Abdul, a retired teacher, on Atmakur Lane in Raidurgam Town, detaining his son Sohel, a software engineer in Bengaluru. The officers questioned Abdul, Sohel, and other family members after discovering large sums of money had been transferred to Sohel's account. Sohel was then taken to Raidurgam police station, where he was reportedly interrogated about potential links to terrorist organizations.

According to sources, the NIA also detained a Pune-based businessman from Vikarabad district on Tuesday. The man, in his fifties, has a history of offenses and a prior conviction in Karnataka. Currently residing in Nanded district, Maharashtra, he is involved in the fruit business, sources said.

Additionally, the NIA reportedly conducted raids at the residences of two doctors based in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu.

The NIA confirmed that these raids are part of a broader investigation into the Rameshwaram Café blast that occurred on March 1 on ITPL Road, Whitefield, Bengaluru. However, it did not disclose any details about the detentions made during these ongoing raids.

Earlier, on April 12, the NIA arrested two men, Mussavir Hussain Shazeb and Abdul Matheen Taha, who allegedly plotted and executed the blast. They were apprehended in Kanthi, East Midnapore district, West Bengal, following a joint operation by central agencies and police from West Bengal, Karnataka, Telangana, and Kerala.