The NIA also found that a third person linked with terror outfit, Muzammil Shareef, visited Kolkata and helped the two, who have been identified as Abdul Matheen Taha and Mussavir Hussain Shazib.

Shareef was the first to be arrested by the NIA from Chennai in the blast case on March 26. He has been accused of providing logistical help.

According to sources, Taha and Shazib, both aged 30, were traced to Digha after interrogating Shareef. Source said Taha and Shazib explored Kolkata, Darjeeling, Purulia and Digha used cash for all making payments. After staying at a Dharmatala hotel in Kolkata, the two also took shelter in Ranchi in neighbouring Jharkhand.

“Taha and Shazib returned to Kolkata on March 21 after staying in Ranchi for seven days. On the same day, Shareef, came to Kolkata from Bengaluru and met them at Dharmatala. Shareef paid for the daily expenses of Taha and Shazib,” said an NIA official on the condition of anonymity.

“They stayed in four hotels in Kolkata, all in busy areas. The two men rented a room at Hotel Paradise in Lenin Sarani in central Kolkata on March 13, and left the next afternoon. The documents showed that they used fake names — Y Shahnawaz and Anmol Kulkarni.

Investigations revealed that the two men rented a room at Hotel Paradise on Lenin Sarani in central Kolkata on March 13, and checked out the next day.

“Initially their motive was to hide. But slowly they got confident and explored several tourist places like Darjeeling, Digha etc. They even went to Chandni Chowk to repair their mobile phone,” said an official.

Nine people were injured in an IED blast at the Rameshwaram Cafe in Bengaluru on March 1.