Blast in Bengaluru Cafe

Nine people were injured in a bomb blast at a popular cafe in Bengaluru – India’s IT hub, located in the Indian state of Karnataka.

An improvised explosive device (IED) was used in the attack at the Rameshwaram Cafe in Whitefield, Kundalahalli.

CCTV footage shows a man placing a bag in the cafe. The explosion at the bustling cafe occurred around 1 pm during the busy lunch hour.

“At 1.08 pm today, the fire department received a call about LPG leakage fire in the cafe. When our officers and teams reached the spot, there was no fire or flame. A bag which was lying behind a woman who was sitting with six other customers at the eatery, exploded. It is suspected that the explosion could have been caused due to some object in that bag,” TN Shivashankar, Director of Karnataka State Fire and Emergency Services department told PTI.

“CCTV footage from the cafe is being examined. It has come to be known that someone had left a bag at the cafe. The accused in the incident will be punished,” Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah told the media. He urged opposition parties to not politicise the incident.

Investigators have ruled out the possibility of an LPG cylinder blast or a leakage from the boilers in the kitchen.

The injured were being treated at Brookfield Hospital. They are out of danger, Karnataka Police chief Alok Mohan said.

The nine people injured in the blast have been identified as hotel staff Farooq (19), an Amazon employee Deepanshu (23), Swarnamba (49), Mohan (41), Nagashree (35), Momi (30), Balaram Krishnan (31), Navya (25) and Srinivas (67).

(Picture Courtesy: Reuters)