Rameshwaram Cafe blast suspects assembled IED for Rs 3,000, hoped for a few deaths

BENGALURU: Initial investigation by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) after the arrest of the two key suspects in The Rameshwaram Cafe blast case, Abdul Mateen Taha and Mussavir Hussain Shazib, has revealed that the accused had initially planned to target IT parks and blow up a large software company. However, they dropped the plan as the target was difficult and instead chose The Rameshwaram Cafe which is frequented by many people, sources said.

There are many IT companies in Mahadevpura-Whitefield area and the accused thought that carrying out a blast at any of the companies would deter foreign investors. They thought that by exploding a bomb near an IT company, the country’s economy would collapse, the sources said.

#WATCH | Bengaluru's The Rameswaram Cafe blast case | West Bengal: The two prime suspects – Adbul Matheen Taha and Mussavir Hussain Shazeb – brought to the NIA Court in Kolkata. pic.twitter.com/taVbFaeziA

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The accused noticed that IT parks and software companies had tight security with CCTV cameras everywhere and security guards. They realised that it may not be possible to gain entry easily, so they dropped the plan and targeted the area where more techies gather. Finally, they chose The Rameshwaram  Cafe near Brookfield, Kundalahalli, as their target and carried out the explosion, the NIA sources said.

The cafe bomb blast accused had spent just Rs 3,000 for assembling the improvised explosive device (IED) and hoped for at least three deaths, Mussavir told the NIA. He just refused to open up about their other plans and said that over the last four years, he had only done what Mateen had instructed him to.  “I only followed his instructions”, Mussavir told the interrogators.