Bengaluru: In a significant advancement in the Rameshwaram Cafe explosion case, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday apprehended two individuals from Kolkata in West Bengal.

The pair, who had been on the run since the incident in Bengaluru, have been identified as Abdul Matheen Taha and Mussavir Hussain Shazeb. “The NIA team located them in their refuge near Kolkata and detained them,” insider sources revealed.

Mussavir Hussain Shazeb is the one who planted the IED at the café, while Abdul Matheen Taha is the orchestrator behind the strategy, execution of the blast, and subsequent evasion from authorities, the NIA stated.

In the early hours of Friday morning, the NIA successfully located the fugitives near Kolkata, where they were hiding under assumed identities. This accomplishment was made possible through the vigorous collaborative efforts between the NIA, Central Intelligence agencies, and State Police forces from West Bengal, Telangana, Karnataka, and Kerala, according to sources.

Last month, the NIA announced a reward of Rs 10 lakh each for information leading to the capture of the two suspects. The IED detonation struck the café situated on ITPL Road, Brookefield, Bengaluru, on March 1. The NIA assumed responsibility for the investigation on March 3.