JOIN USNIA releases footage of Church St blast suspect
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has released the footage of the suspect in the Church Street blast on December 28, 2014, that claimed the life of a 38-year-old woman from Chennai. This is the first time since the blast that the investigating agency is releasing the footage from three CCTV cameras around Church Street.
The private CCTV cameras at three different places on Church Street have captured a lanky man wearing a back-pack and baseball cap holding a plastic bag in his hand thrice on Church Street. The footage shows that the suspect was walking around the Church Street at 7 pm, an hour before the blast.
The NIA has announced Rs five lakh reward for information about the suspect. However, the footage released is captured from a distance, the visual is blurred and does not show his face. Sources said other visuals of the suspect are available, but have been withheld since the person is just a suspect. The person who NIA claims to be the suspect in the case was also seen walking near Namma Metro station on MG Road. He, however, crossed over to Church Street thrice.
Before NIA took over the investigation in May 2015, the City police had conducted extensive analysis of mobile phone call details and also gone through thousands of hours of CCTV footage. It is said that the City police had also zeroed in on a suspect through a CCTV footage captured at close range. The NIA has requested people with any information about the suspect to contact them on 040-27764488 or mail to – info.hyd.nia@gov.in.
The blast had taken place on the footpath outside Coconut Grove restaurant at around 8.30 pm.
Bhavani Devi was killed and two others were injured in the blast. The modus operandi and the device used matched the ones used in a few blasts Chennai, Pune and Patna, suspected to have been carried out by the Students’ Islamic Movement of India.