The suspect in an explosion at Bengaluru’s Rameshwaram Cafe ordered a plate of the popular eatery’s signature rava idli, nibbling and relishing the dish during lunchtime — just moments before planting a bag full of explosives and leaving the premises without raising an alarm, investigating officers said on Friday.
The suspect had a mask on, and was seen loitering near the area where the explosion took place. He is said to have placed the bag under a sink near a tree within the premises of Rameshwaram Cafe’s Whitefield branch in Rajajinagar area.
Armed with crucial visuals from the time of the blast, investigating officers are using facial recognition software and Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) to zero in on the suspect. Nuts and bolts have been found strewn at the restaurant. Forensic teams are looking into them.
Meanwhile, CCTV footage that has surfaced online shows dramatic footage of partial collapse of the restaurant roof. In the video, thick smoke covers the area as panic-stricken customers run helter-skelter.
At least nine people have been injured in the blast that intelligence sources say could have been caused by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED). Officials are probing possible terror links to the low-intensity, midday explosion that has sent shock waves across Bengaluru.
Police have filed a first information report, or FIR, under the anti-terror Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Explosive Substances Act. Government ministers have stressed that all angles are being examined.
A senior official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, did not rule out an act of terror.
The official said the use of shrapnel and the placement of explosives indicated the suspect was eyeing impact. He added that the suspect could have chosen Rameshwaram Cafe because of its high footfall, and also because Whitefield was a high-profile information and technology hub.
“We have yet to identify what type of module is involved in this case. We are using technology to get answers,” the official added.
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