The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a chargesheet against four individuals involved in the March 1 bomb blast at Bengaluru’s Rameshwaram Cafe, which injured nine people.
The accused—Mussavir Hussain Shazib, Abdul Matheen Ahmed Taaha, Maaz Muneer Ahmed, and Muzammil Shareef—face charges under various sections of the IPC, UA(P) Act, Explosive Substances Act, and PDLP Act. All four are currently in judicial custody.
Details of the Blast and Investigation
The IED explosion on March 1 at Rameshwaram Café, located in Brookfield, ITPL Bengaluru, caused significant damage to the café and left nine individuals injured. The NIA investigation revealed that Shazib planted the bomb, and both Shazib and Taaha had been evading capture since 2020 after the Al-Hind module was dismantled. They were arrested in West Bengal, 42 days after the explosion.
ISIS Links and Funding
The NIA identified Shazib and Taaha as ISIS radicals who had previously attempted to travel to ISIS territories in Syria. They were involved in radicalizing other youths, including Maaz Muneer Ahmed and Muzammil Shareef. The investigation revealed that Taaha and Shazib utilized fraudulent Indian SIM cards and bank accounts and used various identity documents obtained from the Dark Web.
The NIA also discovered that Taaha and Shazib were funded through cryptocurrencies, which were converted to fiat currency using Telegram-based peer-to-peer platforms. These funds were used to finance various acts of violence in Bengaluru, including a failed IED attack at the State BJP Office on January 22, 2024.
The chargesheet highlights the growing concern over the use of cryptocurrency in financing extremist activities and the ongoing threat posed by radicalized individuals.
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