The IED wrapped in a plastic bag and suspected to have been placed in a bushy plant went off around 8.30 PM in front of Coconut Grove restaurant, killing a woman in her 30s and injuring three others after they were hit by shrapnels, Karnataka Director General of Police L Pachau told reporters at the site.
City Police Commissioner M N Reddi confirmed that the victim, identified as Bhavani, who had come on a visit here from Tamil Nadu, succumbed to injuries at a hospital, where she was rushed in a serious condition. Her relative Karthik, who was also injured, is hospitalised but out of danger.
The restaurant is close to the fashionable Brigade Road and MG Road, dotted with bars and restaurants with teeming crowd on weekends.
Reddi said no group has claimed responsibility for the blast so far, even as police has cordoned off the area and mobilised the entire city police force stepping up security.
The blast was of low intensity, Pachau said, adding experts were examining "as to what type of bomb was used."
Vinay said they were coming out of the restaurant and were close to the woman, who died, when the blast occurred. He said he saw her slump to the ground.