At least 5 injured in major explosion at Rameshwaram Cafe in Whitefield, IED blast suspected

BENGALURU: At least five people were severely injured after a major blast occurred at Bengaluru’s popular ‘The Rameshwaram Cafe’ outlet in Whitefield on Friday.

As soon as the incident took place, the fire brigade personnel rushed to the spot and were engaged in extinguishing the fire. A FSL team, dog squad, bomb disposal and anti-terrorism Cell (ATC) teams also arrived at the spot. An improved explosive device (IED), battery and nut were found in a bag near the handwash area.

The injured were shifted in autorickshaws to local hospitals. The injured women Vaidehi, Jalaja, Shailaja, Shyamala and Jalajakshi, were admitted to different hospitals. Initially, it was suspected to be a cylinder of microwave oven blast. A portion of the hotel was completely gutted. Shattered glass and furniture were seen strewn on the floor of the cafe, which is a big draw among residents.

“We received a call about an explosion at The Rameshawaram Cafe, we reached the spot, and assessed the situation”, a Whitefield Fire Station official said. The police have begun an investigation to ascertain the exact cause of the blast.

There is much damage to the hotel. The ID card of a person and a detonator-type device were found at the blast site and the HAL police have collected CCTV footage. Following the incident, Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayananda visited the place. The Rameshwaram Cafe is one of the popular hangouts and is usually extremely crowded during lunch hours.

In a separate incident, a major fire broke out at a house near Amin Masjid in Hoskote due to an electrical short circuit. Articles and furniture including a couch, cupboard and sofa, worth lakhs were gutted in the flames.

An electrical short circuit occurred at Yasin Taj’s house. Upon receiving information, firefighters rushed to the spot.  Almost all of the household items were burned, though the fire brigade personnel made all efforts to douse the fire.

A case has been registered at the Hoskote police station.