The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday announced a cash reward of Rs 10 lakh for information about the suspected "bomber" in the Rameshwaram Cafe blast case of Karnataka's Bengaluru.
Informant's identity will be kept confidential, the NIA said on Wednesday in a post on microblogging platform X, in which it shared a picture of the suspect in a grey shirt and wearing a cap.
The explosion on Friday, March 1, at the Rameshwaram cafe that left nine people injured was initially suspected to be a cylinder blast but was later confirmed to be a bomb blast by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
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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," the chief minister had said, adding that the man who placed the bag inside the cafe took a token from the cash counter.
The probe into the Rameshwaram cafe was handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), sources said on Monday a day after Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said his government may consider handing over the investigation to the anti-terror agency if the need arises.
A man wearing a cap, mask and glasses seen on CCTV footage is the prime suspect in the case and is still untraceable, the sources cited in a PTI report said. The explosion is suspected to be carried out through an Improvised Explosive Device (IED).
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Soon after the blast, the Karnataka Police registered a case under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Explosives Substances Act.
The NIA is a specialised probe agency to investigate terror related cases. The agency was created in 2008 following the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.
