X: @the_news_21
The Ministry of Home Affairs has transferred the investigation of the Rameshwaram Cafe blast case to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), following an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) explosion that left nine people injured on Friday, as reported by news agency ANI.
NIA officials have promptly initiated their inquiry, visiting the site of the explosion and commencing their investigation. All relevant documents pertaining to the case are expected to be handed over to the NIA on Monday.
Previously, the case was under the purview of the Central Crime Branch (CCB), led by Assistant Commissioner of Police Naveen Kulkarni. The CCB had deployed eight special teams to apprehend the culprits.
The suspect, captured on CCTV footage wearing a mask, cap, and spectacles, was observed placing a bag containing a bomb near the kitchen sink of the hotel before swiftly leaving the premises. The explosion occurred approximately an hour later.
Law enforcement authorities diligently reviewed hundreds of CCTV recordings to trace the suspect’s movements. It was revealed that the suspect had arrived at the hotel via a Bengaluru Metropolitan Transportation Corporation (BMTC) bus. Subsequently, after planting the bomb, the suspect walked over 100 meters before boarding another BMTC bus heading in a different direction.
The last sighting of the suspect was captured on CCTV footage aboard the BMTC bus, as he attempted to evade capture. Efforts are underway to track his subsequent movements, with suspicions that he may have crossed the Tamil Nadu border.
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar noted similarities between this blast and the one that occurred in Mangaluru in November 2022, suggesting a potential connection between the incidents.
As the NIA assumes control of the investigation, authorities are intensifying efforts to apprehend the suspect and unravel the circumstances surrounding the Rameshwaram Cafe blast.
