Bengaluru:

Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara has said that sleuths investigating the March 1 blast at the city’s popular eatery ‘The Rameshwaram Cafe’ have “in a way” identified the suspect, and efforts are on to nab him.

He said the investigators are verifying the suspect’s identity and are “getting closer to him.” Investigation into the blast, caused by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED), at the quick-service eatery in Brookefield area in information technology corridor in east Bengaluru that left ten people injured, is being carried by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is being assisted by the Central Crime Branch (CCB) of the Bengaluru police.

“Investigations are going on, we are closing in, in a way who the person (Suspect) is has been identified. It has to be confirmed and he has to be nabbed. They are doing it, NIA is doing it, and CCB is doing it with them. They have got good leads,” Parameshwara told reporters here.

On the trail of the suspect, the sleuths investigating the case had visited Tumakuru, Ballari, and Kalaburagi.

NIA has announced Rs 10 lakh cash reward for information leading to the arrest of the bomber, and also released CCTV pictures and videos of the suspect.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Bengaluru:

Karnataka Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara on Sunday said business rivalry, impending elections and terrorising investors coming to Bengaluru in view of a stable government in the state are some of the angles which the police are working on to crack relating to the blast at a city eatery.

The explosion took place at Rameshwaram Cafe in Brookefield in East Bengaluru on Friday.

A man wearing a cap, mask and glasses is the prime suspect in the case and is still untraceable,

READ | Bengaluru Blast Suspect Caught On CCTV With Bag That Allegedly Had Bomb

According to him, eight teams are working to crack the case and they are accompanied by the National Investigation Agency, National Security Group (NSG) and Intelligence Bureau (IB) are assisting the teams.

Mr Parameshwara said one of the angles being probed was to see if it was to terrorise Bengaluru in view of the impending elections. “Elections are approaching. If any organisation is behind it, or if there are some other motives behind it to terrorise people to make Bengaluru look unsafe…,” the Minister added.

“As many investors are coming here in view of a stable government, this might have been done either to stop investors from coming to Bengaluru or due to some other unknown reasons,” Mr Parameshwara said.

The Minister said business rivals might have done it out of jealousy. That is one of the angles, which is also being discussed.

He said The Rameshwaram Cafe has 11 units and the owners were planning to set up their 12th unit, for which an advance deposit was also paid.

“We will crack it (the case). We will not leave it. However difficult this case may be, our department will bust it,” he asserted.

The Minister appealed to people to rely only on the statements issued by him, police and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and not on speculative ones.

To a question related to a pressure cooker blast in Mangaluru on November 19, 2022, Mr Parameshwara said there was a similar assemblage of explosives and other equipment as was in the incident in Mangaluru but that comparison doesn’t mean the same gang was behind the blast at Rameshwaram Cafe.

“The way the battery and timer have been used seems similar. We have to take it (investigation) forward. We don’t know whether the same organisation did it or the same people did it,” the Minister said.

READ | “Suspect Had Rava Idli And Left The Bag”: Bengaluru Cafe Owner To NDTV On Blast

He also said it was a low-intensity bomb as the explosives used were of low intensity and even the quantity might be less.

If the quantity was more then the intensity would have been higher, he observed.

According to him, there could have been casualties if the bomb had gone off horizontally and not vertically. “I too visited…and saw bolts and nails there. They all went up. If they had gone off horizontally then many people would have got hurt. It could have caused deaths too. Luckily all of them went up…,” Mr Parameshwara explained.

Speaking about the suspect, the Minister said police have procured about 40 to 50 CCTV footages.

“There is information that he came by bus… 26 buses passed there around that time. We went through all the 26 buses. We have found the bus on which he travelled. He was wearing a cap, mask, and glasses. We are not getting clarity there as well,” he said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

The Delhi Police has stepped up security after a low-intensity blast at a popular Bengaluru cafe left 10 people injured, an official said today.

Districts police chiefs have been directed to increase vigil in crowded areas, especially in Delhi’s markets, the official said.

A senior police officer said market associations have been asked to remain alert and approach their local police stations in case they find any suspicious activity.

The associations have also been directed to ensure that CCTV cameras installed on the premises are functional, he said.

Another officer said the Delhi Police has asked its bomb disposal squads and bomb detection teams to stay on alert.

Ten people, including staff members and customers, were injured after a low-intensity blast rocked Rameshwaram Cafe in Bengaluru’s Brookefield area on Saturday.

The Bengaluru Police said the blast was caused by an improvised explosive device fitted with a timer in a bag left near the eatery’s handwash area by a “customer”.

The local police have registered a case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Explosive Substances Act.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)