Rameshwaram cafe blast: Techie from Hubballi held by NIA, 5 arrests made so far

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has announced another arrest in the Rameshwaram Cafe blast case. 

On Friday, the agency said it had arrested Shoaib Ahmed Mirza alias Chhotu, 35, a Hubballi techie convicted in the 2012 terror conspiracy case. He is the fifth suspect to be arrested in the case. 

The announcement came three days after the NIA searched multiple locations in different states over the Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast at the popular eatery in Bengaluru that left 10 people injured on March 1. The NIA has so far searched 29 locations across India in connection with the case. 

"NIA investigations revealed that Mirza, who was convicted earlier in a LeT Bengaluru conspiracy case, had got involved in this fresh conspiracy after being released from jail," the probe agency said. 

"In 2018, he had befriended and introduced accused Abdul Matheen Taha to an online handler suspected to be abroad. Mirza had further provided an e-mail ID for encrypted communication between the handler and Abdul Matheen Taha, who was arrested earlier on April 12 from his hideout in Kolkata along with co-accused Mussavir Hussain Shazib. 

"Further investigations into the role of (the) handler and larger conspiracy behind the blast, which left several injured and caused extensive damage to property, are continuing,” the agency said.