The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has summoned a BJP worker from Karnataka to inquire about the Rameshwaram Cafe blast in Bengaluru that happened in March.
The questioning follows the use of a second-hand mobile phone by an individual arrested in connection with the case.
Sai Prasad, BJP worker from Shivamogga district, was the original purchaser of the phone. After being questioned by the central probe agency, he was permitted to return home, according to a report by The Indian Express.
Investigators said that Prasad often visited a mobile store in Thirthahalli, Karnataka, which was run by Sardar Naveed, a suspect who was investigated by the central probe agency on March 27. The BJP worker sold a mobile phone to Naveed’s store.
The probe also found that the phone initially bought by the BJP worker was later used by Muzammil Shareef, 30, who is the only person arrested in connection with the cafe blast case so far.
Police stated that the second-hand phone used by the arrested person brought Sai Prasad under suspicion.
Muzammil Shareef, from Khalsa, Chikkamagaluru, was arrested on March 26 for providing logistical support to the main accused persons. He allegedly supplied mobile SIMs and materials for making IEDs to the two main suspects.
The technical analysis of phone usage led to the identification of the BJP worker’s phone’s IMEI number, sources told the publication.
On Friday, the NIA identified Mussavir Hussain Shazib as the primary accused in the Bengaluru cafe blast on March 1, and Abdul Matheen Taahaa as his accomplice. The agency had conducted searches at 18 locations in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh to locate and arrest other suspects.
The NIA has been summoning and questioning all acquaintances, including college and school friends, of the absconding and arrested accused persons to collect evidence and information. Due to the nature of the incident, any disclosure of witness identities may jeopardise their safety and hinder the investigation. Additionally, unverified news items impede effective investigation, the agency said.
(With inputs from PTI)
Comments
0 comment