Cong minister says BJP worker detained in Cafe blast case; NIA says 'unverified news'

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has taken a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker into custody in connection with the Rameshwaram Cafe blast that took place in March in Bengaluru, claimed Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao on his X account on Friday.

However, the National Investigation Agency(NIA) in a press release, did not mention any such information and has cautioned against spreading of 'unverified news items'.

According to the minister, a BJP worker identified as Sai Prasad of Thirthahalli in Shivamogga district has been detained by the agency.

"Do you need any more proof than this for saffron terrorism," he asked and demanded an answer from the party.

"The state BJP leaders who had targeted the Congress government for the Rameshwaram cafe blast without considering the issue of national security, must now answer," he said.

The NIA in its statement said that "as part of the investigation into the Rameshwaram Cafe Blast dated March 1 at Brookefield Road in Bengaluru, it has identified the accused person who carried out the IED blast as one Mussavir Hussain and the co-conspirator as Abdul Matheen Taahaa, both residents of Thirthahalli in Shivamogga district.''

The NIA has been summoning and examining all the acquaintances of the absconding and arrested accused including college and school friends, it said.

The agency added that in order to locate and arrest the absconding accused persons, NIA conducted searches at 18 locations in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh.

Further, rewards of Rs 10 lakh on each of the absconders has been declared, the agency said.

"The case being a terror incident, any information on the identity of the witnesses may apart from hampering investigation, also put at risk the individuals being summoned,'' a NIA statement read.