Bengaluru:

The Rameshwaram Cafe in Bengaluru reopened for customers this morning, eight days after an explosion that left at least ten people injured.

The blast took place at the cafe in Bengaluru’s Whitefield area on March 1.

The renowned cafe was made open for the public this morning amid high security arrangements as customers stood in a long queue outside the outlet.

Before opening the cafe, its co-founder Raghavendra Rao and all staff joined for the National Anthem.

The cafe has undergone renovations to ensure a safer environment for customers.

“We are taking all the security measures to avoid such incidents in the future. We are strengthening our security team, and are also trying to have a panel of ex-servicemen to train our security guards,” Raghavendra Rao said while speaking to news agency ANI.

#WATCH | Karnataka: Rameshwaram cafe reopened 8 days after the blast

The blast took place at the cafe on 1st March in Bengaluru’s Whitefield area, injuring several people pic.twitter.com/W9es43cIEv

— ANI (@ANI) March 9, 2024

Earlier on Friday, Raghavendra Rao told news agency ANI, “We have given all CCTV footage and information to the authorities. We are cooperating with them. We are very thankful to the government for helping us reopen the cafe so soon.”

“NIA will soon bring the culprit before us. We have taken all precautions before reopening. The government and police have guided us on where to install more CCTVs. We will appoint one person just to keep watch on the premises,” he said.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday announced a bounty of Rs 10 lakh for information about the bomber in connection with the blast at the Rameshwaram cafe.

The agency also emphasized that the confidentiality of the informants’ identities will be maintained. The agency also released a picture of the bomber, captured from the CCTV footage while keeping a bag in the Rameshwaram Cafe, a popular eatery in Bengaluru’s Brookfield area.

In the picture released by the NIA, the bomber is seen wearing a cap, black pants, and black shoes. In the post, the NIA also stressed that “any information leading to his (bomber) arrest shall be rewarded.”

The NIA declared the reward three days after the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) handed over the probe into the case to the anti-terror agency.

The case was handed over to the NIA on March 3, following the visit of an NIA team at the blast site.

The blast took place at the cafe on March 1 in Bengaluru’s Whitefield area, where several people were injured following an explosion that occurred during the busy lunch hour.

Earlier, the Bengaluru Police had registered a case under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Explosives Substances Act in connection with the explosion at the cafe.

The blast took place at 1 pm on March 1 and the police also found a suspect in the CCTV footage, keeping a bag inside the cafe. The police probe so far has indicated that an IED device with a timer was used to carry out the explosion.
 

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

Bengaluru:

Bengaluru’s The Rameshwaram Cafe – where 10 people were injured last week after a low-intensity explosive, or IED, was detonated during the lunch rush hour – will re-open, “brighter and stronger”, for business Saturday morning, the restaurant’s HR head told NDTV today.

Sridhar Murthy said work on repairing and rebuilding damaged parts of the cafe began immediately after the National Investigation Agency, which has taken over the case, handed over the building.

“The day NIA handed cafe to us, we began our work. We already had several meetings with our Managing Director and maintenance team. Within 48 hours all repair work was carried out,” he said.

Mr Murthy said the cafe – an iconic eatery in Bengaluru’s Brookfield area – would re-open “brighter and stronger” than before. “Our team worked around the clock, even till this morning,” he said, adding, “Fortunately there was no serious damage… and everyone suffered only minor injuries.”

The cafe’s co-owner, Divya Raghavendra Rao, said the opening ‘ceremony’ would include a rendition of the national anthem. “It is our mantra. We have taken all precautions before re-opening,” he said.

According to the administration, metal detectors have been installed at the entrance to screen customers, and staff have also been given handheld detectors. Additional CCTVs have been set up.

Mr Rao also said the cafe is cooperating with the authorities and had surrendered all CCTV footage and other information. “We are thankful to the government for helping us reopen so soon,” he said.

“They wanted to teach us a lesson… but we will teach them a lesson. With blessings of Lord Shiva, we have reopened our cafe on occasion of Mahashivratri,” he said defiantly.

NIA Takes Over Case

The NIA, which took over this case on Monday, has announced a reward of Rs 10 lakh for information about the suspected bomber, who was seen on the cafe’s CCTV footage minutes before the explosion.

Information can be given to the central anti-terror agency via e-mail – info.blr.nia@gov.in – or via one of two phone numbers – 080-29510900 and 8904241100.

READ | Bengaluru Cafe Blast: NIA’s 10 Lakh Bounty For Info About Bomber

Provisions of the stringent anti-terror law – the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act – and the Explosive Substances Act – have been invoked against those responsible.

How The Blast Happened

In the video he is seen wearing a cap, face mask, and sunglasses, and is dressed in dark trousers and a grey shirt. He is first spotted walking to the cafe from a nearby bus stop; he is also carrying a small backpack that contained the IED. The suspect ordered a plate of rava idli and sat in a corner eating.

READ | Bengaluru Blast Suspect Caught On CCTV With Bomb In Bag

“He finished his meal and left, leaving his bag in the corner…” the owner told NDTV.

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

All in all, the suspect spent only nine minutes inside The Rameshwaram Café.

He walked in at 11.34 am and left at 11.43 am, and the blast took place at 12.56 pm.

READ | Idli At 11.38, Blast At 12.56: Timeline Of Bengaluru Cafe Blast

In a heart-warming display of resilience, the cafe also held a small puja for the pillar against which the suspect left his IED-stuffed bag, and religious symbols have been drawn on it.

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