Bengaluru Rameshwaram Cafe blast: ISIS radicals used ’Bangladeshi identity’, ’crypto funding’, NIA chargesheet reveals

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) said on Monday, September 9, that ISIS radicals responsible for the blast at Bengaluru's Rameshwaram cafe used 'Bangladeshi identity' and cryptocurrency.

The Investigation Agency has filed a chargesheet against the four accused in the Rameshwaram cafe blast case.

The NIA release identified the accused as Mussavir Hussain Shazib, Abdul Mateen Ahmed Taaha, Maaz Muneer Ahmed, and Muzammil Shareef. They have been charged under sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UA(P) A), Explosive Substances Act, and Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act (PDPP).

Two of the accused, Taaha and Shazib, were ISIS radicals and residents of Shivamogga district in Karnataka. Both of them used fraudulently obtained Indian SIM cards and Indian bank accounts. They also used various Indian and Bangladeshi Identity documents downloaded from the Dark Web, the release said.

Additionally, Taaha and Shazib were funded through cryptocurrencies, which Taaha converted to fiat currency through Telegram-based P2P platforms. They used these funds to carry out violent activities in Bengaluru.

These activities included a failed IED attack at the State BJP Office, Malleshwaram, Bengaluru, on the day of the Pran Pratishtha ceremony at Ayodhya on January 22, 2024. After this failed attempt, they planned the Rameshwaram cafe blast, the release said.

All four were arrested earlier and are currently in judicial custody in the case.

The explosion in Rameshwaram Cafe, Brookfield, ITPL Bengaluru, took place on March 1, which left nine persons injured and massively damaged the hotel property.

The NIA started an investigation on March 3. The NIA conducted technical and field investigations in collaboration with state police forces and other agencies. According to the investigation, Shazib had planted the bomb.

Since 2020, Shazib and Taaha have absconded after the Al-Hind module was busted. They were arrested from their hideout in West Bengal after 42 days of explosion.