At least 10 persons were injured in an explosion caused by a suspected improvised explosive device, or IED, at an outlet of the popular Rameshwaram Cafe franchise in Bengaluru’s Whitefield area at around 1 pm on Friday, reported The Indian Express.
The suspected use of an IED was confirmed by Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who said that a “man was seen keeping a bag in the cafe” upon a review of footage from the establishment’s CCTV cameras.
“It is not a high-intensity blast but an improvised one,” the chief minister said, adding that the injured had been rushed to a hospital and were out of danger.
It had earlier been suspected that the blast was caused by a gas leak, but the fire department ruled this out as a possibility.
“At 1.08 pm today, the fire department received a call about an LPG leakage fire in the cafe,” Karnataka State Fire and Emergency Services Director TN Shivashankar told PTI. “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.”
Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar visited the site later in the evening.
"The whole city of Bengaluru has a tracking system and the culprit will be caught,” Shivakumar told media persons. “About seven to eight teams will be formed. The police will submit a detailed report. I do not want to indulge in a blame-game."
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