Arrest made by NIA not in connection with The Rameshwaram Cafe blast, police clarify

Bengaluru: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday detained one person from Ballari amidst a probe into the IED blast at The Rameshwaram Cafe in Bengaluru, raising suspicions about arrest in the case. However, Ballari police told DH, that the arrest was made in connection with another case and was not related to The Rameshwaram Cafe blast.

Earlier in the day, online reports claimed that the man, who was detained by NIA, is suspected to have assisted the man who planted the bomb in the cafe on March 1. 

The man identified as Syed Shabbir was detained in Bruce Pet by the NIA officials. A police officer in charge of Bruce Pet police station told DH that the arrest was not related to The Rameshwaram Cafe blast case. 

Last week, the premier investigation Agency questioned four jailed terror suspects in connection to The Rameshwaram Cafe blast case. One of the questioned jail inmates was from Ballari’s Cowl Bazaar, approximately three km from Bruce Pet.    

The jail inmates questioned were Minhaj alias Mohammed Sulaiman, 26, a cloth merchant from Ballari; Syed Sameer (19), of Ballari; Anas Iqbal Sheikh, 23, of Mumbai; and Shayan Rahman alias Hussain, 26, of Delhi. The questioning was done after seeking the court's permission.

The four men, along with five others, were arrested by the NIA on December 18, 2023, on suspicion of “plotting to carry out terror acts, especially IED blasts”.  The eight men are said to be a part of the so-called Ballari module that allegedly planned to use the raw explosives to manufacture IEDs. The NIA believes Sulaiman was their "ring leader."

The March 1 blast at The Rameshwaram Café outlet in east Bengaluru’s Brookefield area injured 10 people, as per the police. Investigators found a 9v battery, a timer, and a few nuts and bolts scattered around the crime scene.