An explosion on Friday afternoon at the popular Rameshwaram cafe situated in the Whitefield area of Karnataka's Bengaluru that left nine people injured was confirmed to be a bomb blast by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. The injured included three staff and one customer.
While there was no immediate word on the exact number of injured persons, police earlier said at least five of the injured were shifted to hospital.
While officials initially said the incident was suspected to have taken place due to a cylinder blast, CM Siddaramaiah later confirmed that it was a bomb blast.
Initial information cited in an indiatoday.in report said an object placed in a bag exploded at around 1 pm.
The Deputy Commissioner of Police of the Whitefield area rushed to the spot following the explosion at the Rameshwaram Cafe, while police also cordoned off the area for a relief operation. A team of Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad was also seen at the Rameshwaram Cafe.
The Rameshwaram cafe is a very popular eatery in Bengaluru and is mostly packed with visitors.
CCTV Shows Man Keeping Bag, Says CM Siddaramaiah
While the explosion turned out to be a bomb blast, Whitefield Fire Station had received a call that a cylinder blast took place at the Rameshawaram cafe.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said CCTV footage showed a man keeping a bag inside the cafe. "It’s not heavy explosive. But it was improvised," an indiatoday.in report quoted the chief minister as saying, adding that the man who placed the bag inside the cafe took a token from the cash counter.
The cashier is being questioned, said Siddaramaiah.
