The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has announced a cash reward of Rs. 10 lakh for any information regarding the bomber responsible for the Rameshwaram Cafe blast in Bengaluru. The identity of the informant will be kept confidential.
Ministry Hands Over Investigation to NIA
Earlier this week, the ministry of home affairs handed over the investigation into the Rameshwaram Cafe blast to NIA. The blast occurred at the café during the busy lunch hour on March 1, injuring at least nine people. The Bengaluru Police had previously filed a case under the rigorous Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Explosive Substances Act regarding the cafe explosion.
Identified Suspect and Ongoing Investigation
Police identified a suspect in CCTV footage seen placing a bag inside the cafe at 1 P.M. on March 1. The ongoing police investigation suggests that the explosion was caused by an IED device with a timer. Karnataka home minister G Parameshwara had assured earlier that the suspect would be arrested soon.
Warnings of Future Explosions
Close on the heels of the bomb blast at Rameshwaram cafe, two emails sent to the chief minister, his deputy, the home minister, and the city commissioner of police have warned of “more explosions” targeting VVIPs and crowded areas in Karnataka.
One of the mails demanded $2.5 million “to stop similar blasts”. The Saturday email was purportedly sent by a person identifying himself as Shahid Khan, and the sender’s ID read, ‘Shahidkhan10786 @protonmail.com’. It was sent to the CM, deputy CM, home minister, and several police officers, barring the commissioner of police.
Efforts to Trace Email Sender
The police have written to Proton (an IT firm) to provide us the details of the email ID. Once they get information, they’ll make more progress in the investigation. A senior police officer said Proton is a Swiss-based software company. “We are yet to receive details from them about the multiple email IDs,” he said.
Contents of Threatening Emails
The subject line of Saturday’s mail, as per a copy accessed, ‘Explosion Alert 02’. It read, “Alert 01) What are your thoughts on the movie trailer? If you don’t provide us with 2.5 million dollars, we will cause large explosions on buses. trains, taxis, temples, hotels, and public areas throughout Karnataka.”
“Alert 02) We want to show you one more trailer. We are going to explode the next one in the Ambari Utsav bus. After the Ambari Utsav blast, we will raise our demands on social media. And will upload screenshots of the mail sent to you on social media. We will tweet information about the next explosion,” the mail read, adding further communication could be had with shahidkhan11786@protonmail.com.
