Bengaluru café blast: Dy CM D K Shivakumar points to similarities with Mangaluru-Shivamogga blasts

The detonating system, the timer, the batteries for the timer used in the IED at the Rameshwaram Cafe were all very similar to the ones used for the Mangaluru blast, the police told The Indian Express on Friday.

At least nine people were injured following the low-intensity explosion at the bustling Rameshwaram Cafe in the Whitefield area in the afternoon. The explosive device was kept in a bag brought by a ‘customer’ who ate food and left the eatery.

After the blast, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday pointed to the differences in the containers used for the IED blasts in Mangaluru and Bengaluru. In Mangaluru it was a pressure cooker and now it is a tiffin box type of container, he said in Mysuru.

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On November 19, 2022, a 24-year-old youth Mohammed Shariq suffered 40 per cent burn injuries after an almost similar IED he created went off accidentally in a bag he was carrying on his lap in an auto-rickshaw in the city of Mangaluru. He was arrested after the accidental blast.

Bengaluru: Rameshwaram Cafe where a fire broke out after a suspected cylinder explosion, in Bengaluru, Friday, March 1, 2024. At least five persons sustained injuries in the incident. (PTI Photo)

The low intensity device is suspected to have been built by referring to do-it-yourself online literature on making IEDs using easily available materials.

Two associates of Mohammed Shariq – Maaz Ahmed and Syed Yasin, both engineers – were arrested by the Shivamogga police in September 2022 in a terror case while Shariq was reported as absconding.

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Deputy CM Shivakumar said on Saturday that police had the footage of the arrival and departure of the suspect.

“There are seven to eight teams that are working in all angles possible. There are CCTV cameras all over Bengaluru. There is footage of the suspect getting on to a bus and getting down from a bus. There is footage of him going back after the incident. The investigation is happening on a large scale,” Shivakumar said.

(L-R) The key suspect is seen in a CCTV footage; screengrab from another survelliance camera footage of the blast moment. (File Photos)

“The face of the suspect is captured on CCTV. He may be wearing a cap or glasses but his face is visible. We have visuals of him walking on the street,” the Karnataka Deputy CM said.

“The government is committed to coming out with a clean and fair investigation. We have given a free hand to the police officers. The CCB is already investigating the matter. Seven to eight teams have been set up. They are trying to trace the culprits. Fortunately it was not a major incident but we do not want anyone in Bangalore to be scared,” he said.

The Karnataka DCM who is also the state Congress chief said the BJP was trying to politicise the situation while reminding that the Mangalore and Shivamogga blasts occurred when the BJP was in power.

“There was an incident in Parliament. These things cannot be politicised and everyone cannot be blamed. The suspect walked into the cafe with a small bag like a common man,” Shivakumar said.

“Let the BJP indulge in politics. If they want to be positive and co-operate with the government then it is welcome. Otherwise, if they want to do politics then let them do it. We have given instructions to the police to look at the issue from all angles. The BJP is trying to ruin the reputation of Bengaluru,” he alleged.