Bengaluru Rameshwaram Cafe blast: NIA takes over probe

According to the sources, the investigation into the explosion has been handed over to the NIA. The move comes as the Opposition BJP has been demanding for the case to be transferred to the NIA.

Karnataka’s Home Minister G Parameshwara said irrespective of who investigates the case, the intention is to bring culprits to the books. “NSG teams are also investigating. NIA officials are also probing. Whichever the investigating team – whether them or us – have only one aim and that is to arrest the accused. We want to know whether he acted independently or if there is an organisation behind it. All of us working towards that goal,” Parameshwara told reporters on Monday.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday, 3 March, said his government may consider handing over the case related to the blast in Bengaluru’s Rameshwaram Cafe to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) if the need arose.

The low-intensity IEB bomb blast inflicted injuries on nine individuals, including a 47-year-old woman with severe injuries.

#Bengaluru: NIA has taken over the #RameshwaramCafe Bomb blast case. pic.twitter.com/pPiVe4y1ua

— South First (@TheSouthfirst) March 4, 2024

On the BJP’s demand for an NIA probe, Siddaramaiah said, “We will see. The investigation has begun just now. No accused has been arrested yet. We will see if the need arises (for NIA investigation).”

The Central Crime Branch (CCB), a branch of the Bengaluru City Police (BCP), has taken over the Rameshwaram Cafe bomb blast case from the HAL Police on Saturday, 2 March. Under the leadership of Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Naveen Kulkarni, seven teams have been formed to investigate the incident.

Also Read: Bengaluru cafe blast could have been more serious if not for…: Minister reveals

Suspect identified

The suspect — a person in his early 30s, wearing a cap, a mask, and glasses — had taken a BMTC Volvo bus from Kundalahalli to CMR Institute of Technology and walked approximately 300 metres to execute the blast.

These technical teams are not leaving any stone unturned, collecting phone numbers from the specific tower location and scrutinising CCTV footage from all available angles. Although the suspect was seen with a phone while paying for his “rava idli”, the possibility of it being a decoy device is not ruled out by CCB officials. A few individuals briefly conversed with the suspect have been questioned and released after being cleared of any connection.

Police sources told South First that a third team, collaborating with the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), has identified technical similarities between this incident and a pressure-cooker blast in Mangaluru that occurred in 2022.

(With PTI inputs)