A day after a low-intensity blast rocked a popular eatery Rameshwaram Cafe in Bengaluru, police intensified the hunt for the prime suspect, whose images were captured by the CCTV cameras at the cafe in Brookefield area and those nearby.
The Central Crime Branch (CCB) has taken up the investigation, and seven to eight teams have been formed. A person, who was with the prime suspect, has, reportedly, is being questioned, though there has been no official confirmation yet.
Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar said that the police are using AI-powered facial recognition technology to identify the prime suspect.
The probe teams are also looking at similarities between Friday's explosion, which left around 10 injured, and the November 2022 Mangaluru cooker blast. The injured customers and staff members are out of danger, according to officials.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, meanwhile, has convened a meeting of senior Home Department officials today in the wake of the blast.
According to CCTV footage, the suspect was seen carrying a bag, was wearing goggles, and a cap and mask to hide his identity.
The police said the blast was caused by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) fitted with a timer in a bag left near the handwash area of the restaurant by a "customer". It exploded between 12:50pm and 1pm.
The Bengaluru police have registered a case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Explosive Substances Act.
"The bomb squad, canine squad, anti-sabotage teams and forensic analysts have visited the spot, for investigation and collection of samples," a police official said. Also, sleuths from National Investigation Agency (NIA) and National Security Guard (NSG) reached the spot to help the local police in investigation and shared some inputs with them.
'Cooperating with authorities'
Rameshwaram Cafe said it is cooperating with authorities and officials in their investigation. In a statement late on Friday night, Divya Raghavendra Rao, co-founder and managing director of the cafe, said, "We are deeply saddened by the unfortunate incident at our Brookefield branch. We are cooperating with the authorities and officials in their investigations. Our thoughts are with the injured and their families, and we are offering them all the support, assistance and care they need and pray for their speedy recovery."
Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi, who is also the MP from the Dharwad constituency in Karnataka, along with Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot and state BJP president Vijayendra Yeddyurappa, visited the injured people at a hospital.
(With PTI inputs)
