Informant's identity will be kept confidential, the NIA said on Wednesday in a post on microblogging platform X, in which it shared a picture of the suspect in a grey shirt and wearing a cap.

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The explosion on Friday, March 1, at the Rameshwaram cafe that left nine people injured was initially suspected to be a cylinder blast but was later confirmed to be a bomb blast by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said CCTV footage showed a man keeping a bag inside the cafe. "It’s not heavy explosive. But it was improvised," the chief minister had said, adding that the man who placed the bag inside the cafe took a token from the cash counter.

The probe into the Rameshwaram cafe was handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), sources said on Monday a day after Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said his government may consider handing over the investigation to the anti-terror agency if the need arises.

A man wearing a cap, mask and glasses seen on CCTV footage is the prime suspect in the case and is still untraceable, the sources cited in a PTI report said. The explosion is suspected to be carried out through an Improvised Explosive Device (IED).

WATCH | Bengaluru Cafe Blast: CCTV Footage Reveals Suspect Took 9 Mins To Plant IED

Soon after the blast, the Karnataka Police registered a case under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Explosives Substances Act.

The NIA is a specialised probe agency to investigate terror related cases. The agency was created in 2008 following the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.