In the wake of a recent explosion at the Rameshwaram Cafe in Whitefield on March 1, the spotlight has turned to Thirthahalli, a serene town nestled in Karnataka's Malnad region. Following the circulation of images and videos implicating suspects in the planting of the bomb, law enforcement activity has intensified in the lanes of Soppugudde.
Nera News has learned that the suspects, identified as Mussavir Hussain Shazeb and Abdul Matheen Taha, both hail from Thirthahalli. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) had previously visited the town in pursuit of satellite phone users, coinciding with the departure of Shazeb and Taha from the area in 2018-19. Later investigations revealed Taha's alleged involvement in an Al Hind-Karnataka module, making both individuals prime suspects in the cafe explosion.
As news of their arrest reverberated through the town, the families of Shazeb and Taha opted to vacate their residences and relocate to undisclosed locations.
Sources close to the families disclosed that Taha's father, Mansoor Ahmed, a retired serviceman, was deeply distressed by his son's purported terrorist activities. Ahmed, who had settled in Thirthahalli after his military service, passed away last year following a cardiac arrest. Expressing his disillusionment, Ahmed often lamented his son's alleged betrayal of the country he had proudly served.
Meanwhile, Shazeb's family roots trace back to Kengatte, Koppa, in Chikkamagaluru, where his father, Mohd Nurullah, worked as an agriculturist. Following Nurullah's demise, Shazeb's mother relocated the family to her father's residence in Thirthahalli. Shazeb, the third of four siblings, alongside his older siblings, operated a clothing business and owned a mobile phone store in the area.
Sources close to the families revealed that Shazeb and Taha shared a longstanding friendship, having attended high school together in Thirthahalli. While Taha pursued further education locally, Shazeb enrolled in a college in Shivamogga before discontinuing his studies.
Nera News continues to monitor developments in this ongoing investigation as authorities delve deeper into the circumstances surrounding the cafe blast and the alleged involvement of the suspects
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