The Delhi tabloid Mail Today has reported that an injured waiter Paras Rimal of German Bakery, presently in Pune hospital under heavy security, holds vital clue about the bomber who caused the blast. A sketch of the bomber is being prepared based on his observations.
According to the report, the 19-year-old waiter Paras Rimal told investigators that about 6.30 pm on that fateful Saturday, he noticed a red and blue air bag on a front-row seat at the crowded bakery. It kept nagging him because nobody was coming forward to take the bag away.
Paras alerted the manager of the bakery about the unattended bag. He was asked to keep the bag aside. As Paras went to pick up the airbag, a man rushed towards him with two Rs 100 curency notes and asked him to fetch a bottle of packaged mineral water.
Paras went to get the bottle of water, forgetting all about the bag. As soon as he went to fetch the bottle, the man rushed out of the bakery, and the blast took place.
It is still not clear, the report says, whether the bomb that went off precisely at 6.52 pm had a timer or was triggered remotely. Reports suggest that the blast was triggered by a remote-controlled device.
It is still not clear whether the man giving money to Paras for a bottle of water was sheer coincidence, or was an attempt to divert his attention away from the bag. But the very fact that a man offering Rs 200 for a bottle of mineral water costing hardly Rs 20, invites suspicion.
Investigators believe that the man may have overheard the conversation between Paras and his manager, and the latter's instructions to remove the bag to a safe corner.
Paras remembers seeing the man standing outside the bakery for a while before rushing in to ask for water. "He could be just an innocent man. But, the fact is he was seen standing outside for some time. And, why did he give him two Rs 100 notes for just getting a bottle of Bisleri? This shows that the man didn't care about money and there was something else on his mind. We are now trying to trace him", said an investigator.
Meanwhile, Paras Rimal is being kept under heavy security at Pune's Sasoon hospital. Armed policemen do not let even the doctor meet him without getting screened.
