BENGALURU: To conceal his identity and make it difficult for the police to trace him, the suspect in Friday’s The Rameshwaram Cafe bomb blast in Bengaluru reportedly wore a t-shirt over another t-shirt and layered his trousers with other trousers, police sources said. The blast in the popular eatery in Bengaluru’s Brookfield area at about 1 pm on Friday injured 10 people.
According to a police source, the blast was carried out by a lone wolf who reached the cafe in a BMTC Volvo bus plying between Kadugodi and Central Silk Board, altering routes along the way, and purchasing tickets for certain buses while riding without tickets in others. To evade being traced easily, the suspect boarded multiple buses and deboarded at multiple bus stops. He finally deboarded at the CMRIT bus stop and walked a few meters to reach the restaurant.
“Because he changed buses multiple times, traveling in some with and others without tickets, it is difficult to trace the link to his destination. Though we have identified the bus he boarded through the BMTC CCTV camera footage, his movements before and after remain untraced. Because of this, we are yet to rule out the possibility of the suspect having left Bengaluru,” a police officer said.
Meanwhile, Karnataka Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara told reporters that the police have collected close to 40-50 CCTV camera recordings. “The evidence suggests that the suspect arrived on a bus. Around the time of the incident, 26 buses were recorded passing through the area. We have reviewed footage from all 26 buses and identified the one he boarded,” the minister elaborated.
Further, he said that one angle under scrutiny was whether the intention behind the incident was to create fear, especially ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. Also, it is speculated that given the influx of investors due to a stable government, the incident could have been an attempt to deter them from choosing Bengaluru, he said. The minister added that the police were also probing the business rivalry angle.
Meanwhile, the attempt to trace the suspect’s location through mobile tower data has been unsuccessful.
No business rivalry, says cafe CEO
The Rameshwaram Cafe co-founder and CEO Raghavendra Rao said they had found unattended bags twice previously at their Rajajinagar branch and these were promptly handed over to the police. Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Rao requested the state government to ensure that such incidents do not happen again. “We all share the same identity as food providers. We won’t compete to take out each other’s business. We have entrusted the case to the police, who are investigating it diligently,” he added. The cafe is set to reopen on Friday.
