The National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested a person on Wednesday, March 13, from the Bellary district of Karnataka in connection with the Bengaluru Rameshwaram Cafe blast case.
The suspect, identified as Syed Shabbir, allegedly met the prime accused at the Bellary bus stand on March 1, the day of the blast incident. “He is still being questioned in the case. It is yet to be ascertained whether he is the same man caught on CCTV camera,” ANI quoted police sources.
This development comes following the state home minister G Paramaeshwara’s statement that the investigation is getting closer to nabbing the prime accused in the Rameshwaram Cafe blast.
On March 6, NIA took four persons in custody with alleged ISIS links.
A few days earlier, NIA released new images of the prime accused walking with a mask on. This time he was seen without a cap in a new attire, but the mask was still on. He is believed to have got off the bus en route to Tumkur. It also announced a cash award of Rs 10,000 for any information regarding the prime accused.
The prime accused, who is currently on the run, reportedly boarded two intra-state government buses before reaching Bellary. From there, he took another bus to a location yet to be known, Indian Express reported.
On March 1, a low-intensity blast occurred at the Brookfield outlet of the eatery on March 1, leaving customers and hotel staff injured. The case was handed over to the NIA on March 3. The central agency has been investigating assisted by the Central Crime Branch (CCB) of the Bengaluru Police.
