Bangalore: The police are yet to get any definitive clues to Wednesday’s blast in Malleswaram in the city that injured 16 people. Karnataka Director-General and Inspector-General of Police Lal Rokhuma Pachau announced a Rs. 5 lakh reward to anyone who provides credible information about the blast.
Mr. Pachau told reporters that investigations were on and special teams under Joint Commissioner Pronab Mohanty were working on the case.
The city police are being assisted by Central Forensic Science Laboratory officials, bomb disposal squads and teams from the National Investigating Agency and the National Security Guard.
Preliminary investigation revealed that ammonium nitrate and a timer were used to trigger the blast.
Vehicle owner
Bangalore City Police Commissioner Raghavendra H. Auradkar said the motorcycle in which the improvised explosive device (IED) was placed was traced to a man in Chennai who is being questioned.
Mr. Auradkar said the police were scouring the debris for clues. Though crucial evidence may have been washed away while dousing the fire, some have been salvaged.
CCTV footage from buildings around the blast site does not seem to have yielded anything substantial. The CCTV installed in the house opposite focussed only on the house and the staircase while that from the Bharatiya Janata Party office covered its own building.
The CCTV at a temple nearby was pointed in a different direction. All other CCTVs in the vicinity are being examined and the police are also checking cellphone call records.
The police have spoken to eyewitnesses and will question terror suspects already lodged in jail if they see fit. Mr. Auradkar told reporters it was premature to point any fingers at any organisation at this stage.
Security has been strengthened at the Raj Bhavan, the High Court, the Vidhana Soudha, Chinnaswamy Stadium, bus terminals, the international airport, railway stations, metro stations, tech parks, Union government offices, malls, shopping complexes, markets, religious places and offices of political parties.
On whether the city police had any prior information about the blast, Mr. Auradkar said they did not, adding that they had received a general advisory to step up security in the wake of IPL cricket matches and the Assembly elections.
Shettar visit
On Thursday, Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar and State BJP president Pralhad Joshi visited the site and the injured in hospital. Mr. Shettar told reporters that the blast, though serious, should not be politicised.
