On Friday, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested the terrorists behind the blast in Bangalore on March 1, 2024.
Mussavir Hussain Shazib, the man who planted an IED device with a timer to carry out the explosion, and Adbul Matheen Taha, the mastermind who planned the blast, were tracked down by the federal agency after a month’s hunt. 
The two accused were apprehended from Kolkata, West Bengal, where they disguised themselves and shifted from one hotel or lodge to another in a short span of time.
The accused took separate routes after the criminal act to reach Kolkata.
The two accused are residents of the Thirthahalli area in Karnataka’s Shivamogga district. Shazib From Andhra Pradesh, Shazib reached Kolkata via Odisha. On the other hand, Abdul Mateen Taha took a separate route and went to Kolkata via Tamil Nadu.
After the blast, the NIA circulated the images of the accused and announced a reward of Rs 10 lakh for information. Upon inspecting the blast’s area, the CCTV camera captured the main accused on March 1 wearing a full-sleeve shirt, a cap, eyeglasses, and a face mask. He was seen walking towards the cafe with a bag, believed to be carrying the explosive.
the NIA collected Shazib’s shoes from the spot and matched them with what was visible on CCTV footage. Additionally, the cap worn by him played a crucial role in concluding the search.
The NIA spokesperson shared that they conducted searches at 18 locations in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh to arrest the accused persons. The arrest was a strategic cooperation between the Central Intelligence agencies and the State Police agencies of West Bengal, Telangana, Karnataka, and Kerala.
Both men are aged 30 and hail from the Thirthahalli area in Karnataka’s Shivamogga district. Both of them are already wanted in a 2020 terrorism case.
On March 1, the now-in-custody accused persons targeted the famous Whitefield eatery Rameshwaram Cafe in Bengaluru. At least 10 people were injured after an IED blast.
Arresting them took roughly three weeks, and a NIA special court in Kolkata later on Friday granted the two accused a three-day transit remand to the NIA.
