The crude bombs, cleverly concealed in heaps of nuts and bolts near refugee camps and along the roadside, exploded during the busy lunch-break at Adugodi, Madivala, Nayandahalli, Pantharapalya and Vittal Mallya Road. The first two suburbs in particular witness heavy traffic right from seven in the morning since one has to cross these two suburbs to reach the Electronic city where most of IT and ITES units are located, including those of the biggies. Vittal Mallya Road on the other hand, is hardly half a kilometre from Vidhana Soudha, the state secretariat. The serial blasts occurred within a span of about 15 minutes, according to commissioner of police, Shankar Bidri. He remarked that in all the blasts, low-intensity timer devices had been used. The intention was to cause damage to human lives. The explosives used for the purpose were equivalent to a grenade or two, in terms of quantity.

None has so far claimed responsibility for the blasts although sources in the Union Home Ministry suspect the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba to be behind the attacks, assisted locally by SIMI. Bidri termed it as an act of miscreants, trying to disturb a peaceful Bangalore. Investigations were on. Bomb disposal squads and forensic experts had reached the spot. The police force was on high alert.

The serial blasts have occurred in less than two years after the dastardly attack on the Indian Institute of Science when an IIT Professor from Delhi MC Puri fell victim to terrorists. Meanwhile, Union Home secretary Madhukar Gupta is said to have contacted Karnataka chief secretary and sought a detailed report on the serial blasts.

Observers however put the blame on the tardy progress the police force has made in respect of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) attack. According to them, the failure of the police to apprehend the culprits behind the IISc attack even after almost two years, has led the terrorists to believe that Bangalore is a soft target and that they can strike the Silicon city at will. Vittal Mallya Road is under a kilometre away from the secretariat (Vidhana Soudha) and still the police force could not detect the mischief, they point out, sadly.