FIR states floor manager saw suspect abandon bag in Rameshwaram Cafe in Bengaluru

FIR states floor manager saw suspect abandon bag in Rameshwaram Cafe in Bengaluru

The First Information Report (FIR) registered by HAL police in the Rameshwaram Cafe blast case on March 1 reveals that a floor manager of the restaurant saw a man abandon a bag in the premises before leaving. The explosion occurred around 12.55 p.m., injuring 10 persons. 

According to the FIR, during questioning, all employees began recollecting whether they saw anything suspicious. The floor manager claimed to have seen a man order a plate of idli. The man ate the idli before going to clean up at the wash basin where he abandoned a bag that he had been carrying. Then, he left the restaurant, according to the FIR says, a copy of which The Hindu has accessed. 

CCTV camera footage shows the suspect wearing a white cap and a black face mask, making it difficult to get an image of his face. Hence, the floor manager, who saw the suspect having food, has now emerged as a key witness. At one point in the CCTV camera footage, police got a partial image of the suspect’s face.

Sources said that the suspect was wearing glasses, and has a light beard. 

The complainant, Rajesh K. V., another floor manager of the restaurant, has said the blast occurred between 12.50 and 1 p.m., near a hand wash sink.

In his complaint Rajesh said that, after shifting the injured to hospitals, he, along with other members of staff, inspected the area of the blast carefully. A platform had been placed near the hand wash for customers to sit. They noticed that the tiles used to hold an iron pillar on the platform had come off. Nuts, bolts, washers and other items were strewn around. There were marks of the explosion on the side wall and the tiles of the platform, he said. 

HAL police have registered a case against unidentified persons under various sections of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, Explosives Substances Act, 1906, and various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).