Hyundai i20 In Delhi Blast was sold to a man from Pulwama
PP NEWS LINE DESK
NEW DELHI, Nov 11: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday reviewed the ongoing probe into the Delhi car blast that killed eight people and left several others injured on Monday evening, instructing agencies to identify and arrest every individual involved in the attack.
In a post on X, Shah wrote: “Chaired review meetings on the Delhi car blast with the senior officials. Instructed them to hunt down each and every culprit behind this incident. Everyone involved in this act will face the full wrath of our agencies.”
The high-level review meeting began at 3 pm at the Ministry of Home Affairs in Kartavya Bhawan. This was the second round of deliberations, following an initial meeting held at the Home Minister’s residence at 11 am. Senior officials including Home Secretary Govind Mohan, Intelligence Bureau Director Tapan Deka, NIA Director General Sadanand Vasant Date and Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golchha attended the meeting. Jammu & Kashmir DGP Nalin Prabhat joined virtually.
Security agencies have intensified investigations after the blast, which occurred around 7 pm in a Hyundai i20 car near a traffic signal between Gates 1 and 4 of Red Fort Metro Station.
Soon after the explosion, Shah had spoken to the Delhi Police Commissioner and IB Director, directing a coordinated multi-agency investigation involving the NIA, NSG, FSL and Delhi Police. All agencies have been told to conduct a comprehensive probe into the cause, materials used and possible terror links, and to submit a detailed report at the earliest.
Following the first round of meetings, the Ministry of Home Affairs formally handed over the case to the National Investigation Agency, considering the possibility of a terror angle. The NIA will now examine all evidence collected so far, including forensic samples gathered earlier by NSG and FSL teams.
Sources said the review also discussed a potential link between the blast and a major seizure of explosive materials in Faridabad on Monday.
A joint team of NIA and FSL revisited the blast site on Tuesday morning to collect additional samples. The NIA is expected to soon register a formal FIR and take over all case files and evidence collected by Delhi Police.
The transfer underscores the Centre’s intent for a thorough, coordinated investigation into the high-profile case.
One of the owners of the Hyundai i20 that exploded near Delhi’s Red Fort Monday evening killing nine people and injuring 20 others in a shocking high-intensity blast is a man from Pulwama._
Minutes earlier police in Haryana’s Gurugram confirmed the arrest of a Mohd Salman, the original owner of the i20 bearing the number plate HR26 CE 7674. However, Salman told the police he had sold the car to a man called Tariq, who hails from J&K’s Pulwama.
It is unclear at this point if Tariq then re-sold the car to a third party. What has been confirmed, though, is the car slowed as it approached a traffic signal near Gate 1 of the Lal Qila metro station at 6.52 pm. It exploded within seconds, and no more than a minute, later. Sources the explosion originated from the rear of the vehicle.
The force of the blast set nearly two dozen vehicles around, including an e-rickshaw, on fire and the resulting blaze burned for nearly 40 minutes before firefighters managed to get it under control.
Disturbing visuals showed bodies on the ground, severed body parts, and mangled cars.
Home Minister Amit Shah has been briefed on the blast and the investigation and has, in turn, briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Shah has also visited the injured in hospital.
The blast came hours after Jammu and Kashmir Police recovered nearly 3,000kg of explosives from two residential buildings in Faridabad in Haryana.
The materials which included 350kg of ammonium nitrate, a commonly-used fertiliser that can be turned into a deadly bomb were seized based on intel from arrested J&K-based doctor, Adil Rather.
The blasts also followed the arrest of another medical professional, this time a Dr Ahmed Mohiyuddin Saiyed from the town of Adalaj near state capital Gandhinagar. Saiyed was carrying three handguns, two Austrian-made Glock pistols and an Italian-made Beretta, as well as ammunition for the guns.
Pulwama was the site of one of the worst terrorist attacks on India. On February 14, 2019, a military convoy on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was attacked. A suicide bomber in a Maruti Eeco van launched the attack in which the terrorist – identified as Adil Ahmad Dar – and 40 soldiers were killed.
Pakistan-based terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammed claimed the attack, to which India responded with precision military strikes that neutralised a training camp and killed between 300 and 350 terrorists.
The man driving the car that exploded near the Red Fort killing at least nine people allegedly also had links to the Faridabad terror module where huge cache of explosive material was seized, Delhi Police sources said on Tuesday.
According to sources, Umar Mohammad, a Pulwama resident and a doctor, was allegedly driving the Hyundai i20 car that was used in the explosion near the parking area of the Red Fort Metro Station.
Preliminary findings by police suggest ammonium nitrate, fuel oil and detonators may have been used in the blast near the Red Fort that killed at least nine people, police sources said.
A police source said initial findings suggest a possible link between the Delhi blast to the Faridabad terror module where 360 kg of ammonium nitrate was seized. and quot;Final reports are awaited, and quot; the source added.
Police said CCTV footage of the car that exploded shows a and quot;masked man and quot; driving the car. Multiple teams have been deployed to scan CCTV from the vicinity of the Red Fort and adjoining routes, they added.
Delhi Police remains on high alert after a powerful blast ripped through a slow-moving car at a traffic signal near the Red Fort metro station on Monday evening, killing at least nine people, injuring 20 people and leaving several vehicles gutted.
Hours before the blast in Delhi, eight people, including three doctors, were arrested and 2,900 kg of explosives seized with the uncovering of a and ldquo;white collar and rdquo; terror module on Monday.
The 2,900 kg of explosive material recovered in Faridabad includes ammonium nitrate, potassium nitrate and sulphur. Of this, 360 kg of inflammable material suspected to be ammonium nitrate and some arms and ammunition were recovered, according to police.
Police sources alleged Umar Mohammad was another doctor in the Faridabad module who have already been arrested.
Umar Mohammad, who is a doctor by profession, was allegedly associated with the Jaish-e-Mohammad terror module, they said.
According to sources, a man named Tariq from Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir, who has been arrested, is said to have given the Hyundai i20 car to Umar Mohammad.
After his fellow doctors who were part of the terror module were arrested, Umar Mohammad allegedly carried out this terror attack fearing that he too might be caught, sources added.
Following the blast, security across the national capital has been intensified, and vehicle checking at all border points intensified as well.
All vehicles entering Delhi, whether private or commercial, are being thoroughly checked and verified as part of heightened security measures, officials said. Multiple teams have been deployed to scan CCTV footage from the vicinity of the Red Fort and adjoining routes to know more about the masked man driving the Hyundai i20 car in which the explosion occurred, and quot; a police source said.
We also got to know that the vehicle was parked in a nearby parking lot for three hours, before the blast. Footage of different parking lots are also bening monitored, and quot; the source added.
He added that an overnight search operation was conducted at hotels and guest houses in Daryaganj and Paharganj areas to trace possible suspects.
Police checked hotel registers, verified entries, and questioned several staff members to identify anyone matching the suspect and #39;s description.
All police stations in the national capital have been asked to stay alert and maintain strict vigil at local markets, metro stations, bus stands, and railway stations.
Teams have been asked to stay alert, attend all emergency-related calls, intensify checking in their area, and report any suspicious activity immediately, said a police officer.
Police have registered an FIR into the matter and multiple teams from the Special Cell, Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), and local police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the explosion. They are also probing whether it could be a case of a and quot;suicide bombing and quot; or a larger terror plot, said the source.
Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golcha had said the explosion took place around 6.52 pm in a slow-moving Hyundai i20 car at a traffic signal near the Red Fort Metro Station.
and quot;There were passengers inside the vehicle. Other vehicles nearby were also affected. Teams from the Delhi Police, FSL, NIA, and NSG inspected the place of occurrence and are taking stock of the situation, and quot; he said.
Officers said the blast was so powerful that it gutted several vehicles and shattered window panes of nearby cars, buildings, and glass panels of the metro station. According to the Delhi Fire Services, ten fire tenders were rushed to the spot, and the blaze was brought under control by 7.29 pm.
All the senior officers are also looking that the blast related to Faridabad terror network, and quot; another source said.
Videos shared by local traders showed the magnitude of the explosion –” mangled bodies, damaged vehicles, and scattered debris near the blast site.
Police said nine people were killed, while 20 others, including two women, were injured and taken to LNJP Hospital. Among the injured, 12 are residents of Delhi, and eight belong to other states, including Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh.
The deceased include Ashok Kumar (34) from Amroha, Uttar Pradesh, and Amar Kataria (35) from Delhi, while others remain unidentified and are aged between 28 and 58 years. One mutilated body was recovered from the mangled remains of the car, officials said.
