Rameshwaram Cafe blast suspect visited Tamil Nadu weeks before explosion

BENGALURU: It has been over three weeks since the bomb blast at The Rameshwaram Cafe, and the NIA has now got a major clue about the blast suspect who visited Tamil Nadu just weeks before the explosion. The NIA has already categorised the suspect as the most wanted terrorist since 2019.

The central agency has found that the bomber had a connection with Tamil Nadu as he was spotted in a mall in Chennai where he purchased the cap. The suspect who planted the bomb came from Tamil Nadu and escaped. The suspect had stayed in Tamil Nadu for two months before the blast. At this time, there was another person with the suspect. The NIA traced the suspect’s movements before the blast and found that he came from Tamil Nadu.

The NIA has also traced the source of the cap that the suspect wore and later dumped it near a mosque in Hoodi. The suspect purchased it from a mall in Tamil Nadu and was recorded on CCTV camera along with the facial expression during the purchase. On the other hand, the suspect’s hair was also found in the recovered cap. A DNA test of a hair is also conducted. Both the blast suspect and his accomplice hail from Shivamogga.

The suspected terrorist has been wanted since 2019. As per the source of information, he was in Maharashtra in March-July 2023, in Karnataka during July-December, Kerala in January 2024, Tamil Nadu in February, and Karnataka again in March this year.

The NIA, which has identified the cafe blast suspect as Musavir Hussain Shajib, is the prime accused in the Ballari ISIS module case of 2020 which had attacked the Tamil Nadu Q branch police. Musavir was the accused number 017 in the case registered in Gurappanapalya. He resided at Gurappanapally and was planning for such acts.

Musavir stayed in a lodge in Tamil Nadu for two months. The NIA team is tracing him based on CCTV footage.

Another suspected terrorist, Abdul Mateen Taha, has been absconding for about four years. His last known location was Dubai. Mateen is the prime suspect in the Mangaluru cooker blast and the Shivamogga trial blast cases.