Bengaluru blast: NIA probing possible Chennai links of suspects, say police sources

NIA probes Bengaluru blast suspects' Chennai links, offering cash reward for arrest, amid political controversy.

The National Investigation Agency is probing possible links of suspects in the Bengaluru Rameshwaram Cafe blast case in Chennai, police sources said on Friday.

The sources said that the NIA officials were looking at the possibility of the prime suspect or his associates visiting Chennai weeks before the blast was triggered in the cafe that left at least 10 people injured on March 1, 2024.

After taking over investigation in the case, the central agency published the photo of the suspect and announced a cash reward of ₹10 lakh for any information leading to his arrest.

While police officials in Chennai said they had no information about any NIA operation in the city, a senior police officer dismissed reports on social media that two suspects in the case had stayed in a lodge in Triplicane for about two months.

Another police officer said that investigators were probing whether the accused persons visited Chennai before or after the blast occurred. “It appears that they transited through Chennai but it can’t be confirmed unless concrete evidence is obtained”, the officer said. 

In any case, the investigators would probe and rule out all angles arising out of technical evidence or intelligence inputs. The State intelligence was coordinating with the national agency in the case, the officer, who did not want to be quoted, said.

However, the sources said the Special Division of the Special Branch CID was enquiring into an input that two persons had stayed in the city and visited a mall. They were perusing CCTV footage recorded in suspected locations to corroborate the information.