On CCTV, Moment Explosion Hit Popular Bengaluru Cafe

Hours after nine people were injured in a bomb blast at a Bengaluru cafe, disturbing CCTV footage has emerged showing a normal busy afternoon at the popular establishment, followed by an explosion which left at least one woman lying on the floor and several other people running for their lives.

The blast, at The Rameshwaram Cafe in Bengaluru's Kundalahalli, occurred around 12.30 pm today and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah told reporters that an improvised explosive device (IED) was used in the attack. 

A CCTV camera, placed above a counter in the cafe, captured the moments leading up to the blast as well as its immediate aftermath. Customers can be seen waiting to get a table and a waiter is about to put a plate on the counter when the explosion rips through a portion of the cafe. 

Debris falls from the ceiling and, as the smoke clears, a person can be seen falling while attempting to move away, while a woman is seen lying on the floor. A little later, she can be seen turning and attempting to get up, but failing to do so. 

Another CCTV camera inside the cafe shows the counter of what appears to be an open kitchen and the waiting area of the restaurant. When the explosion hits, customers and the staff members behind the counter are seen running away. 

Bomb squads as well as teams from the anti-terror National Investigation Agency and the forensics laboratory have reached the site. Before the chief minister said that an IED was used, BJP's Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya had posted on X that he had spoken to the cafe's founder and that the explosion "seems to be a clear case of bomb blast".

The injured are being treated at Brookfield Hospital in Bengaluru and Karnataka Police Chief Alok Mohan said they are out of danger. The police have filed an FIR under the anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Explosive Substances Act.