National Investigation Agency (NIA) officials have made a significant discovery regarding the Rameshwaram Café blast conspiracy, revealing that it was masterminded within the walls of Parappana Agrahara Central Prison. Maaz Muneer, previously linked to the Shimoga trial blast and Mangalore graffiti case, has been arrested in connection with this revelation.
Muneer, already incarcerated at the central jail, was apprehended on-site based on information provided by Muzammil Shareef, another suspect detained in Chikkamagaluru by the NIA. Following his arrest, Muneer was presented before the court via video conference and subsequently returned to judicial custody, as per NIA sources.
In the aftermath of the Café blast, NIA conducted raids at 18 locations nationwide, including Parappana Agrahara, on March 5th.
During these operations, Muneer was detained and interrogated for eight days. However, due to his reluctance to disclose crucial details, Shareef’s arrest in Chikkamagaluru, based on circumstantial evidence, led to him providing comprehensive information about Muneer’s involvement. This led to Muneer’s re-arrest from the central jail.
Muneer, hailing from Theerthahalli in Shimoga and an engineering graduate, had previously been implicated in the Mangalore graffiti case in November 2020, for which he was later granted bail. However, he was arrested again in connection with the Shimoga trial blast case.
Significantly, Muneer and Abdul Mateen Taha were reportedly skilled in crafting Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and had trained other suspects. Musavvir Hussain Shazib, identified as the Rameshwaram Café bomber, was purportedly among those trained by Muneer and Taha, according to investigation sources.
