NIA offers reward for information about suspect in Bengaluru cafe blast

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday announced a cash reward of Rs 10 lakh for information about the suspected bomber in the Rameshwaram Cafe blast case in Bengaluru.

Posting on its official handle on social media platform X, the agency put up a picture of the suspect captured on a CCTV camera and promised that informants’ identities would be kept confidential.

Meanwhile, Karnataka Home minister G Parameshwara said the police had discovered vital clues over the last two days and were close to cracking the case. “If we proceed this way then we will complete the investigation,” he said.


No arrests have been made in connection with the case, but the police had summoned some people to gather information, he added. The NIA was supposed to take over the case on Tuesday, he said.

Earlier this week, the City Crime Branch (CCB) had registered a case under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), and the Explosive Substances Act.

The blast occurred on Friday afternoon, when an IED explosion was set off in the cafe in the heart of the city’s tech hub, injuring 10 people. CCTV footage showed a bearded man wearing a mask, cap and spectacles leaving a bag behind in the cafe, which detonated about an hour after he left.

Within a week of the explosion, top ministers of the Karnataka government, including chief minister Siddaramaiah, his deputy DK Shivakumar, and Paramaeshwara received a threat via email on Tuesday, warning of an explosion in public places on Saturday, along with a ransom demand of $2.5 million (about 21 crore).