Days after the Rameshwaram cafe blast in Bengaluru’s Whitefield area, the National Investigation Agency (NIA), in an attempt to uncover the suspect, pieced together the trail of the cafe blast suspect through CCTV footage.
The individual linked to the cafe blast was last seen on CCTV footage at the Ballari bus stand approximately eight hours after the incident, at 8:58 pm, according to ongoing investigations.
On March 6, five days after the cafe blast, the NIA arrested four people from a Ballari-based “ISIS module”, as per publicly available NIA records. Minaj alias Md Sulaiman (26), Anas Iqbal Shaikh (23), Shayan Rahman alias Hussain (26), and Syed Sameer (19) were detained for a three-day investigation. Notably, these individuals had been previously arrested in December 2023 during an NIA crackdown.
The trail of the blast suspect was traced through CCTV footage. He took two government buses to reach Ballari and continued to an unknown location. The CCTV footage shows him getting on a Volvo bus (KA 47 F 4517) near the cafe. About 3 km away, he changed clothes, leaving behind a baseball cap and shirt. The recovered baseball cap is considered crucial evidence in the case, according to police sources, Indian Express reported.
The suspect’s movements captured on CCTV reveal a journey that involved boarding a state bus departing Bengaluru from the outskirts at approximately 3 pm on the day of the blast, headed towards Tumkur, situated about 60 km from the city.
According to an Indian Express report, it is indicated that the suspect, now without a cap and in different attire, was seen on the bus via onboard cameras, likely disembarking en route to Tumkur. Six hours later, the CCTV trail resumed, locating the suspect at the Ballari bus stand at 8:58 pm.
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Authorities are currently investigating whether the suspect may have boarded another bus from Ballari, possibly heading towards the coastal or northern borders of the state. Throughout the journey, the suspect reportedly changed buses up to 10 times, orchestrating the planting of the bomb at Rameshwaram Cafe and executing a strategic exit following the explosion.
Sources suggest that the suspect might have utilised a day pass for Volvo city buses, obtainable like regular bus tickets at varying values and payable in cash at Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation counters.
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The initial identification of the suspect’s CCTV trail occurred on the morning of the blast near the Silk Board in southeast Bengaluru, approximately 20 km from Whitefield in the east.
Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara, expressing confidence in the investigation, mentioned on Thursday, “We have some crucial details about the suspect in the Rameshwaram cafe blast case. The investigation has revealed that the accused changed clothes and travelled by bus. We will arrest the accused soon.”
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has also mentioned leads which cannot be disclosed.
Meanwhile, the NIA has announced a reward of Rs 10 lakh for information regarding the suspect captured in the CCTV footage of the cafe blast.
On March 1, an explosion occurred at The Rameshwaram Cafe in Whitefield, Bengaluru, resulting in serious injuries to nine individuals. Investigations unveiled the use of an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) as the cause of the blast.
The primary suspect in the case is a man who was wearing a cap, mask, and glasses. As of now, he remains at large and is yet to be apprehended by authorities.