Bengaluru blast: 4 detained, police close to identifying accused

The Bengaluru Crime Branch has detained four persons who may have helped an unidentified person to leave a bag with a bomb in Rameshwaram Café in the outskirts of Bengaluru on Friday afternoon, police said on Saturday, adding that they were on the verge of identifying the main accused.
Bengaluru Police Commissioner B. Dayanand said no arrests have been made so far and some people have been detained. “Multiple police teams are diligently examining various angles based on the clues gathered at the scene,” he said.
A police officer aware of the development said that none of the four persons detained are suspects in the case and they were being questioned about the suspects. “We have got some clues and investigation is being conducted,” the officer said.
Dayanand also said that the city police have transferred the case to the Crime Branch, which has registered a case at HAL police station on Friday. He emphasised that the CCB has been assigned the task of investigating the case. He also mentioned that the individuals injured in the incident are currently undergoing recovery.
Police said that the CCTV footage showed that on entering Rameswaram Cafe, the individual carried a bag and proceeded to consume idli. “The suspect engaged in phone conversations while consuming food,” the officer said.
A second police officer familiar with the investigation said they would zero in the mobile phones that were in use in the restaurants and were trying to find the phone number of the suspect. “We are also trying to find whether the mobile phone was in use during the attack. We are looking at over 500 active numbers in use in the area at that time,” the officer said.
As part of the investigations, the officers also visited Parappana Agrahara jail to verify visitors who may have visited some of the bomb accused suspects in the different cases.
Police have been able to track the accused to a Volvo bus, on whose CCTV footage, he was caught. The Volvo bus number KA-57-F 186 belongs to BMTC Depot-13 Kamakya and was going from Banashankari to ITPL. “The individual boarded the bus at Kundahalli and alighted at the CMRIT College stop. In light of this development, the CCTV footage from the bus was reviewed, and information was obtained from the driver and conductor. Though suspect movements were captured on many CCTV cameras, the police did not get a picture of their full faces as the suspect wore a mask,” the officer quoted above said.
On Saturday, Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah held a meeting with home minister G. Parameshwara, state DG and IGP Alok Mohan, Bengaluru police commissioner B. Dayanand, and some other top police officials at his residence this afternoon.
Siddaramaiah issued directives to the police to enhance security measures across Bengaluru including the densely populated areas. The CM visited Rameshwaram Café and Brookfield Hospital on Saturday and announced that the government would cover the medical expenses of the injured individuals. He instructed doctors to ensure that the injured receive the best possible treatment, with the government bearing all associated expenses.
Addressing concerns about the impartiality of investigations, the chief minister said the importance of conducting inquiries without succumbing to external pressures, including those from social media platforms. He urged authorities to remain steadfast in their pursuit of truth and to take decisive action against individuals found spreading false or misleading information. He stressed the need to prevent such incidents from recurring and urged intelligence services to maintain heightened awareness and proactivity.
CM Siddaramaiah affirmed that investigations are ongoing to ascertain the identity and motives of the perpetrator(s). He assured the public that the authorities are diligently working to bring those responsible to justice.
Deputy chief minister, D K Shivakumar, said the police were looking at the connection between the Bengaluru blast and Mangaluru cooker blast in 2023. “There appears to be some common link,” he said, after visiting the explosion site.
Deepanshu, who sustained injuries in the blast and experienced ear problems, was discharged from Brookefield Hospital on Saturday. He recounted his experience, stating, “I went for lunch on Friday afternoon and forgot my laptop bag after eating. When I returned to retrieve it, there was an explosion. I heard a loud noise, and I immediately lost consciousness. I don’t know what happened after that.” He expressed gratitude for his recovery, mentioning that he was taken to the hospital in an automobile.
Police said two other injured, currently undergoing treatment at Vydehi Hospital, were also discharged.