Mumbai: The two persons arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in connection with the blast at The Rameshwaram Cafe in Bengaluru on March 1, 2024, were wanted since 2020 in another terror case, according to officials.
The NIA was looking for both Abdul Matheen Taha (30) and Mussavir Hussain Shazib (30) as part of its investigation into Al-Hind module case, the officials said. However the duo managed to elude arrest and during their time on the run, they stayed for more than 10 days in Goregaon and Malad, then Ratnagiri, West Bengal, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The NIA is now trying to identify those who gave the suspects shelter and financial support.
Details About Al Hind
Al Hind module was formed by Bengaluru-based Mehboob Pasha and Cuddalore-based Khaja Moideen, who recruited several young Muslims in south India, including Taha and Shazib. Karnataka police busted the module in 2020 by arresting the masterminds and their associates, but Taha and Shazib managed to escape and reached Mumbai.
During its investigation, the NIA found that Al-Hind had been in close contact with the Maharashtra terror module of ISIS, which was recently dismantled by the agency. Sources disclosed that Shagaf Divakar, an associate of the alleged Maharashtra module chief Saquib Nachan, was allegedly linked to Shihabudeen, who supplied arms for Al-Hind.
Details About Shihabudeen
Shihabudeen arranged arms and ammunition with the assistance of the Maharashtra terror module in Bhiwandi, ensuring its delivery to Al-Hind module’s courier in Bengaluru.
Shihabudeen has been charged under Section 120B of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, Section 25 (1)(a) of the Arms Act 1959, and Sections 18, 20, 38, and 39 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967, according to the NIA chargesheet filed in 2021.
The sources suspect Divakar’s complicity with Shihabudeen’s involvement in the arms supply to the Al Hind module. According to the sources, the investigation revealed that Mehboob Pasha, in close contact with a suspect from the Maharashtra module, appointed their close associate Jafar Ali to a Sion-based tours and travel company, where Jafar worked as a bus driver.
Jafar drove a tourist bus from Mumbai to Bangalore regularly with arms consignments, which he received from Shihabudeen, and delivered it to the Al Hind module in Bangalore. In September 2019, Pasha himself visited Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, and Bhiwandi to collect a consignment consisting of four pistols after Jafar Ali and his brother Ajaj Pasha failed to receive it.
Details About Thirthahalli Module
The Karnataka police recovered these pistols during their operation and dismantled the Al Hind module. According to a senior official, after Al-Hind module was busted, the duo on the run radicalized some youth from their hometown and created another module known as Thirthahalli.
The Thirthahalli module first came to the notice of the state police in November 2020 when three youths from Mangalore were arrested for pro-terror graffiti. The module resurfaced in September 2022 during an investigation into a stabbing incident during Independence Day celebrations in Shivamogga.
The police uncovered an alleged terror plot, which included a trial blast with an IED rigged on the banks of the river Tunga. Two months later, Mohammed Shariq, an absconding member of the terror module, appeared in an autorickshaw with a cooker rigged as an IED, which accidentally exploded on the outskirts of Mangaluru on November 19, 2022.
