Blast in Bengaluru kills woman

Terror returns: Three hurt as IED goes off near MG Road

An improvised explosive device (IED) went off on Church Street in the central business district of the City on Sunday evening, leaving a 36-year-old woman dead and three persons seriously injured.

The low intensity blast occurred at 8:30 pm in front of the Coconut Grove, a restaurant on busy Church Street, shattering the peace of the City which is gearing up for New Year celebrations.

The device was hidden behind flower pots on the side of the footpath near the entrance to the restaurant.

Bhavani, 36, from Chennai, was seriously injured. She was admitted to hospital where she died. Karthik, 23, a second year MBA student of Dayanand College, Sandeep and Vinay were also hurt.

According to eyewitnesses, Bhavani and Karthik were walking on the pavement when the blast threw them off the spot.

Bhavani sustained injuries on her face. Karthik suffered shoulder injuries.
“We were passing by the place when we heard a noise. But I thought, like most people on the road, that it was a cracker blast,” said Vani, a passerby.

“I was sitting in a nearby restaurant and rushed to the place after I heard the explosion. I found a woman lying in a pool of blood and rushed her to hospital,” said Shivakumar, Corporator of Shantalanagar (Ward no 111). 

Some clues

Police top brass rushed to the spot and cordoned off the blast area, because a crowd was hampering their preliminary investigation.

Sniffer dogs and forensic experts were pressed into service.  Commissioner of Police M N Reddi, who visited the spot, confirmed that it was an IED blast. He said it was too early to say who was behind the incident but investigation had led to some vital clues.

“No group has taken responsibility for it. Footage from the closed circuit television cameras on Church Street installed by the police and business houses are being analysed,” he said.

When asked whether the incident was in retaliation for the arrest of Masroor Biswas Mehdi, a sympathiser of terror outfit Islamic State, he said it was too early to come to that conclusion. However, a terror angle could not be ruled out.

Reddi appealed to the people not to panic and assured them that the police have taken all security measures.

He said the City “has been put on high alert.” The police have asked the people to inform them about suspicious objects.