Rameshwaram cafe reopens in Bengaluru amid tight security measures after blast that injured 10

The Rameshwaram Cafe in Bengaluru's Whitefield area resumed its operations on Saturday (Mar 9), welcoming customers after an eight-day hiatus following a blast that caused injuries to nearly 10 individuals.

This comes as on March 1, 2024, at approximately 1:00 pm, a low-intensity explosion rattled the eatery, resulting in several injuries. Rameshwaram Cafe, nestled in the bustling city of Bengaluru, in the Whitefield area, isa popular spot in the locality. Initial findings suggested the use of an improvised explosive device (IED) with a timer in the blast, which occurred during the lunch hour rush.

The cafe, which fortunately did not witnessany casualty in the blast, reopened its doors amidst heightened security. Reports said that as the cafe reopened there were long queues of customers eagerly waitingto enter.

Before officially reopening, co-founder Raghavendra Rao and the entire staff gathered to sing the National Anthem, marking the occasion. Renovations had been undertaken to enhance safety measures within the premises, with a commitment to preventing such incidents in the future.

Raghavendra Rao while speaking to ANI news agency stated,"We are taking all the security measures to avoid such incidents in the future. We are strengthening our security team, and are also trying to have a panel of ex-servicemen to train our security guards."

Speaking to news agency ANI, Rao also expressed gratitude to the government for facilitating the speedy reopening of the cafe and emphasised the cafe's cooperation with authorities, including providing CCTV footage and information relevant to the investigation.

"NIA will soon bring the culprit before us. We have taken all precautions before reopening. The government and police have guided us on where to install more CCTVs. We will appoint one person just to keep watch on the premises," he added.

Amidst ongoing investigations, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has released a picture of the suspect captured on CCTV, urging the public to come forward with any relevant information. It has alsoannounced a reward of ₹10 lakh ($12k) for information.The NIA's involvement in the case followed the transfer of the investigation to the anti-terror agency by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on March 3.

The suspects, namely Minaj alias Md Sulaiman, Shayan Rahman alias Hussain, Syed Sameer, and Anas Iqbal Shaikh were earlier arrested during an NIA operation in December 2023.

(With inputs from agencies)