“Mom Called, Stepped Away”: Bengaluru Techie On Escaping Cafe Blast Unhurt

Kumar Alankrit, a Bengaluru-based engineer, escaped the Rameshwaram cafe blast unhurt yesterday. He had stepped out to receive his mother’s phone call, only a few seconds before a loud explosion rocked the eatery known for its South Indian cuisines.

Speaking to NDTV on Saturday, Mr Kumar said that he was meters away from the outlet in Whitefield where the low-intensity bomb explosion left 10 people injured.”Mother is a God. It was proven yesterday,” he told NDTV as he spoke about his narrow escape.

Mr Kumar, who is from Patna, said that his office is close to the Rameshwaram cafe and he had gone there to have lunch.

“I had gone to the cafe after my office to have lunch and had ordered idli and dosa. As soon as I was going to a table, I received my mother’s call,” he said.

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He said that he then stepped out of the cafe to speak to his mother and was just 10-15 meters away from the restaurant when he heard the blast.

“The explosion was so loud that there was numbness in the ears for a few seconds,” he said.

Everyone started running out of the cafe and we saw smoke all around, Mr Kumar said, adding that initially they thought that a gas cylinder had exploded.

“I saw blood coming out of the hands of a woman, who would probably be in her 80s and I tried to wipe it with the tissues. I also saw burn injuries on another woman. One of the employees of the Rameshwaram cafe was also injured,” he said.

Rameshwaram Cafe Blast Suspect Caught On CCTV

CCTV footage has emerged showing a man carrying a bag inside the Rameshwaram cafe’s premises minutes before the explosion on Friday.

The suspect, according to the police, allegedly placed this bag in the cafe and then left before the blast took place. Another individual, who was seen along with the suspect, has been detained and is being questioned by the Bengaluru police.

READ | Bengaluru Blast Suspect Caught On CCTV With Bag That Allegedly Had Bomb

The main suspect, his face hidden by a mask, glasses, and a head cap, was caught on cameras installed inside the cafe carrying a plate of idlis.

The police have invoked stringent provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Explosive Substances Act and are on the hunt for the suspects.