- Saturday, May 04, 2024
The person, who was caught on CCTV installed inside the cafe premises, had his face hidden by a mask and was wearing glasses and a cap.
By: Shubham Ghosh
A DAY after an explosion took place at a popular eatery in the south Indian city of Bengaluru on Friday (1), CCTV footage emerged showing a man carrying a bag with him inside the premises of Rameshwaram Cafe in the Whitefield area, known to be the location of a number of offices.
The incident, which took place at peak lunch hour, left 10 people injured who were undergoing treatment at a hospital. The injured included both staff members of the cafe and customers. There were around 35-40 people at the restaurant when the blast took place.
Another individual, who was spotted along with the suspect, was detained and being questioned by Bengaluru Police.
Read: Blast at Bengaluru cafe, 9 injured; investigators suspect explosive device used
#RameshwaramCafe CCTV footage reveals the suspect linked to the Rameshwaram cafe explosion. The person enters the establishment, placing an order for idly, and subsequently positions themselves behind a tree. The video captures them leaving the premises. pic.twitter.com/o8K2YhgNoM
— shafqat (@shafquath) March 2, 2024
The person, who was caught on CCTV installed inside the cafe premises, had his face hidden by a mask and was wearing glasses and a cap. He was carrying a plate of rava idli.
The police registered a case at HAL Police Station under stringent provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Explosive Substances Act in response to the blast. Commissioner B Dayananda said on X an investigation was underway and requested the media not to speculate and cooperate with the police.
As regards Rameshwaram cafe incident, investigation is in full swing. Several teams are working on different leads obtained so far. Keeping in mind the sensitivity of the case and the security concerns, media is appealed not to indulge in speculation and co-operate.
— CP Bengaluru ಪೊಲೀಸ್ ಆಯುಕ್ತ ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು (@CPBlr) March 2, 2024
Personnel of the National Investigation Agency reached the scene to conduct a thorough probe.
Siddaramaiah, the chief minister of Karnataka of which Bengaluru is the capital, said the police suspect an improvised explosive device (IED) was used to trigger the blast and it was brought by the suspect in the bag.
Initially, it was thought to be a transformer and cylinder blast but police soon ruled out both possibilities. There was also speculation about business rivalry leading to the incident.
Forensic teams were also investigation the blast at the site.
Deputy chief minister D Shivakumar assured the public that there was no need to panic and that the matter was being probed.
South Bangalore MP Tejasvi Surya, who is from the state’s opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, slammed the Indian National Congress government accusing it of indulging in vote-bank politics. It also asked the government to give a free hand to the investigators and be answerable to the people.
At first, they tried the narrative of cylinder blast. Now, they are trying the narrative of business rivalry.
Why can’t the Congress Govt allow the investigation agencies to do their job? Why preempt? Why prompt? Vote Bank compulsions?
CM @siddaramaiah must give free hand to…
— Tejasvi Surya (@Tejasvi_Surya) March 1, 2024
Rameshwaram Cafe co-founder Divya Raghavendra Rao told NDTV that initial understanding following the explosion was that it took place in the kitchen.
“But then we found out that there were no injuries or blood inside the kitchen and that the blast took place in the customer area,” she was quoted as saying by the channel.
“After looking at the CCTV footage, we saw that a guy wearing a mask and muffler came to the billing counter and ordered a rava idli. He then took his order and sat in the corner. He finished his meal and left a bag where he was sitting before exiting the restaurant.”
