Blast at Bengaluru's Rameshwaram cafe injures 9

Bengaluru: A bomb exploded at a famous restaurant in Bengaluru's Kundalahalli today, injuring nine persons, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah told reporters. The blast was captured on CCTV.

The blast occurred at the crowded Rameshwaram cafe in Whitefield's Brookfield area, which is an active neighbourhood, business centre, and IT hub.

The blast injured seven customers and two staff members, NDTV reported.

The police had earlier stated that they were investigating the cause of the explosion at The Rameshwaram Cafe. After a team from the anti-terror National Investigation Agency (NIA), bomb squad, and forensics laboratory arrived at the cafe, the Chief Minister informed reporters that the incident was carried out with an improvised explosive device (IED).

"There's information that around 12.30 pm, there was an explosion. And that there was a bag. The investigation is on... I am getting to know that it was an IED. The investigation is on," Siddaramaiah told reporters.

"It was not a large-scale blast, it was an improvised explosive blast. Such things have happened earlier too, it should not happen. Let's see what it is. In recent times, such blasts had not taken place other than the incident in Mangaluru during BJP rule. This is the first such incident during our government," he added.

The nine injured individuals were treated at Brookfield Hospital. They are out of danger, according to Karnataka Police Chief Alok Mohan.

A bomb squad, forensic team, and police arrived at the scene to gather evidence. According to sources, the entire area has been cordoned off, and there are traffic restrictions in place.