The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested the prime accused behind the blast at Rameshwaram Cafe in Bengaluru from West Bengal. The accused, who were absconding, were apprehended from their hideout in Kolkata.
The NIA said Mussavir Hussain Shazib had placed the IED at the cafe and Abdul Matheen Taha was the mastermind behind the planning and execution of the blast.
Both of them are already wanted in a 2020 terrorism case. The NIA said Abdul Matheen Taha was involved with the Bengaluru Module of ISIS — Al Hind.
The NIA said the accused were hiding under false identities. In a statement, the NIA said the accused were nabbed in a co-ordinated action between Central intelligence agencies and police personnel from West Bengal, Telengana, Karnataka, and Kerala.
On March 29, the anti-terror agency released the photographs and details of the two accused and announced a reward of Rs 10 lakh for information on each of them.
The agency had said that Shazib was using the name ‘Mohammed Juned Sayed’ to conceal his identity. Taha was using Hindu identity documents and a forged Aadhar card with the name Vignesh, the agency said.
Tag: NIA
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Bengaluru cafe blast mastermind, bomber arrested from Bengal
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NIA takes over cases related to Maoist violence
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has taken over the probe into about half a dozen Maoist violence cases, including the January ambush on a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) camp in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur and the killing of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ratan Dubey in the state’s Narayanpur in November last year, people familiar with the matter said.
The agency will also look into the role of supporters of Madvi Hidma, the commander of Battalion-I of People’s Liberation Guerilla Army of Maoists, suspected to be behind a recent spate of attacks in the region.
“A larger conspiracy by Maoists to regain the lost ground by targeting security personnel, politicians, and civilians is being investigated. We have taken up eight cases linked to Maoists in the last few weeks,” said an official, who did not want to be named.
On January 16, Maoists attacked the CRPF camp in Bijapur and claimed that three security personnel were killed in a gunbattle that followed. The security forces denied the claim. Ratan Dubey, the vice president of BJP’s Narayanpur unit, was hacked to death with a sharp-edged weapon in Narayanpur in November 2023 while he was campaigning.
An Improvised Explosive Device blast in Chhattiagarh’s Kanker during Chhattisgarh assembly elections last year is among other cases the NIA has taken up. Individuals suspected to be working for Maoists have been arrested in Chhattisgarh over the last few months.
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NIA raids 15 locations in J-K in terror-funding case
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is carrying out raids across 15 locations in Jammu and Kashmir in connection with an ongoing terror-funding case, officials said on Saturday, May 20.
In the Kashmir division, searches are being carried out in Anantnag, Pulwama, Kupwara and Srinagar, while in the Jammu division, raids are under way in Poonch and Jammu districts. “The raids are part of the ongoing investigation into the terror funding case,” the officials said. -
11 chargesheeted in PFI conspiracy case
The NIA today said it had filed a chargesheet against 11 persons accused of being involved in organising terrorist training camps and recruiting youngsters for the banned Popular Front of India (PFI) in Telangana’s Nizamabad district.
The chargesheet was filed before the NIA Special Court in Hyderabad on Thursday, the agency said in a statement. Those named are Abdul Khader, Abdul Ahad, Abdul Saleem, Shaik Shadullah, Feroz Khan, Mohammad Osman, Syed Yahiya Sameer, Shaik Imran alias “Imran Qureshi”, Mohd Abdul Mubeen and Mohammad Irfan, all of Telangana, and Shaik Iliyas Ahmed of Andhra Pradesh, it said. “Investigations revealed the accused were radicalising gullible Muslim youth and recruiting them into the PFI through speeches filled with hatred against the government of India as well as other organisations,” statement read.
The NIA on Friday arrested a lawyer in a case related to unlawful and violent activities by the PFI in Kerala. Mohammed Mubarak AI, a resident of Ernakulam district, is the 14th person arrested in the case following searches in the state on Thursday.
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Former Punjab Police Chief Dinkar Gupta is appointed Director General, NIA
NEW DELHI (TIP): The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) appointed former Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Dinkar Gupta as the Director General of the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
The 1987 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of Punjab cadre was removed as the State DGP and posted to the Police Housing Corporation after Charanjit Singh Channi replaced Captain (retd.) Amarinder Singh as Punjab’s Chief Minister in 2021. Mr. Gupta had been on an offer list for Central deputation for almost a year. Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Vini Mahajan, his wife, who was the Chief Secretary of Punjab during the tenure of Capt. Singh was appointed as Secretary, Ministry of Jal Shakti, in January this year. Mr. Gupta and Ms. Mahajan had earned the sobriquet of being a “power couple” during Capt. Singh’s tenure as CM.
The ACC order said that Mr. Gupta will hold the post till March 31, 2024, the date of his superannuation or till further orders, whichever takes place earlier.
In another order, the Intelligence Bureau’s (IB) Special Director Swagat Das has been appointed as Special Secretary, Internal Security, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). Mr. Das, a 1987 batch IPS officer of the Chhattisgarh cadre will hold the post till November 30, 2024, the order said.
Mr. Das was the senior-most officer in the internal intelligence agency after Director, Intelligence Bureau, Arvinda Kumar. Mr. Kumar’s extended tenure is set to end on June 30. If he is not given a further extension, and with Mr. Das’ exit from IB, there are two probable candidates for the topmost job of Director, IB — 1987 batch IPS officer A.S Rajan and 1988 batch IPS officer Tapan Deka.
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NIA arrests Chhota Shakeel’s two aides in D-Company case
New Delhi (TIP)- The National Investigation Agency (NIA) today said it had arrested two close aides of Pakistan-based gangster Chhota Shakeel for allegedly handling the illegal activities and financial transactions of the crime syndicate controlled by fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.
The accused, identified as Arif Abubakar Shaikh (59) and Shabbir Abubakar Shaikh (51), were arrested on Thursday, May 12, an agency spokesperson said, adding that the former was arrested from Goregaon West in suburban Mumbai, while the latter was held from Mira Road East in Thane district.
“Both of them were apprehended by a team of the NIA, which is probing the cases against D-Company — Dawood Ibrahim’s syndicate,” the official said, adding that the duo was closely associated with Shakeel and were involved in the cartel run by Ibrahim.
Of late during searches at multiple locations in Mumbai and Thane, the NIA had also picked up many suspects for investigation, sources said, adding that the arrests of Arif and Shabbir were also in line with the agency’s ongoing probe into the alleged D-Company’s crime syndicate. During their interrogation, the NIA team found that Arif and Shabbir had carried out some transactions with Chhota Shakeel, following which they were arrested.
The NIA had registered a suo moto case against the Dawood Ibrahim’s crime syndicate on February 3. Meanwhile, the International Criminal Police Organisation has issued a Red Corner Notice against Shakeel. Source: TNS
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NIA arrests Chhota Shakeel’s two aides in D-Company case
New Delhi (TIP)- The National Investigation Agency (NIA) today said it had arrested two close aides of Pakistan-based gangster Chhota Shakeel for allegedly handling the illegal activities and financial transactions of the crime syndicate controlled by fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim. The accused, identified as Arif Abubakar Shaikh (59) and Shabbir Abubakar Shaikh (51), were arrested on Thursday, May 12, an agency spokesperson said, adding that the former was arrested from Goregaon West in suburban Mumbai, while the latter was held from Mira Road East in Thane district. “Both of them were apprehended by a team of the NIA, which is probing the cases against D-Company — Dawood Ibrahim’s syndicate,” the official said, adding that the duo was closely associated with Shakeel and were involved in the cartel run by Ibrahim.
Of late during searches at multiple locations in Mumbai and Thane, the NIA had also picked up many suspects for investigation, sources said, adding that the arrests of Arif and Shabbir were also in line with the agency’s ongoing probe into the alleged D-Company’s crime syndicate.
During their interrogation, the NIA team found that Arif and Shabbir had carried out some transactions with Chhota Shakeel, following which they were arrested.
The NIA had registered a suo moto case against the Dawood Ibrahim’s crime syndicate on February 3. Meanwhile, the International Criminal Police Organisation has issued a Red Corner Notice against Shakeel. Source: TNS
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NIA claims suspended Mumbai Police officer Vaze admitted to planting explosives
Mumbai (TIP): The suspended Mumbai police officer, Sachin Vaze, said that he is being made a scapegoat after an NIA officer claimed that he admitted to planting explosives outside Mukesh Ambani’s house in Mumbai. Sachin Vaze has been sent to NIA custody till April 3. Upon extension of custody, Vaze told the court that he is being made a scapegoat. “I have nothing to do with the crime,” he added.
During the hearing Vaze said: “I had investigated this case till I was in charge of it. Also, I wasn’t the only one, the crime branch and Mumbai Police did what they had to. Now, suddenly these charges have come up against me.”
The senior cop said that he had gone to the NIA all by himself but was suddenly arrested. “It is being said that I have accepted my crime. This is not true,” Vaze said.
Court has now asked Vaze to give his statement in writing.
Suspended Mumbai cop Sachin Vaze was today produced in the National Investigation Agency (NIA) court. He has been in NIA’s custody for his alleged role in planting an explosive-laden SUV near industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s residence Antilia in Mumbai on February 25.
Vaze’s NIA’s custody was supposed to end on march 25. Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the NIA had invoked provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in the case.
Vaze, an assistant police inspector (API) with the Mumbai police, has been charged under sections 16 and 18 of the UAPA, sources said.
The NIA authority said that they have so far recorded statements of 35 people and their team is also scanning through 112TB of data. Meanwhile, sources saidNIA officers have also recorded the statement of the mysterious woman who was seen with Vaze.
‘Motive’
Investigating officer Vikram Khatale said: “During the probe, Sachin Vaze claimed that he wanted to be a super cop. He had planned to plant the explosives and later detect them. He wanted to make some name for himself.”
“We are, however, verifying his claim,” added the officer. Source: India Today
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Ambani security scare: Two cars allegedly used by suspended Mumbai cop Vaze seized
Mumbai (TIP): The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday, March 18, seized two more luxury cars allegedly used by suspended Mumbai police officer Sachin Vaze, sources said. A Toyota Land Cruiser Prado was found parked outside Vaze’s residence in Saket area of adjoining Thane, an agency official said. A Mercedes car was also seized but it was not clear from where it was picked up.
The total number of vehicles seized has gone up to five, including another Mercedes, a Scorpio and an Innova.
The vehicles were brought to the NIA office at Cumballa Hill on Pedder Road here.
The NIA on Thursday called two policemen, including an aide of Vaze and a senior police inspector, for questioning, sources said. The NIA arrested Vaze on Saturday night in connection with the security scare outside the south Mumbai residence of industrialist Mukesh Ambani.
Under fire over handling of the bomb scare outside Ambani’s house, Maharashtra Government on Wednesday shifted Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh to the Home Guard.
Senior IPS officer Hemant Nagrale has replaced Singh as Mumbai police commissioner.
The NIA on Tuesday seized a black Mercedes from the Crawford market area in Mumbai and recovered from it the original number place of the explosive-laden SUV that was placed outside billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s residence ‘Antilia’ on February 25.
A 27-year-old travel operator said on Wednesday he sold the Mercedes-Benz car in February to a website that deals in used vehicles. He said he did not know Vaze. Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh on Thursday said Singh was transferred after some of his colleagues committed “serious and unforgivable mistakes”.
In his first public comments after Singh’s transfer, Deshmukh said he was shifted to ensure that the probe into police officer Sachin Vaze episode is conducted “properly and without hindrance”.
Deshmukh said the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and the NIA are conducting the probe into the episode “professionally”.
He said that action will be taken against whoever is found guilty in the respective probes by the NIA and ATS.
“This is not an administrative transfer (of Singh).
Some things have come to light through the probes conducted by the NIA and the ATS,” Deshmukh said.
“Some of the colleagues of the (former) Mumbai police chief (Singh) committed some serious mistakes. Those are unforgivable mistakes. Hence, he was transferred. Further action will be taken based on the probe report,” he added.
Asked about the BJP and the MNS’s allegation that political bosses of the officials are not being acted against, Deshmukh said, “The NIA and ATS are conducting the probe professionally. They will definitely find out whoever is guilty.” Vaze was arrested by the NIA on March 13 in the probe into recovery of explosives from the SUV. He was later suspended.
Vaze, an “encounter specialist”, has also been facing heat in the murder case of Thane-based businessman Mansukh Hiran, who was in possession of that SUV. Hiran was found dead in a creek in Thane district on March 5.