- Joined
- Mar 11, 2013
- Messages
- 15,519
- Points
- 113
The CCTV footage showed a 'masked man' driving the car, which exploded. While body parts are found in the car, investigators will have to rely on DNA tests to ascertain whether it is of Umar Nabi.
Security officials inspect the scene of a car explosion near the historic Red Fort in New Delhi, India, Monday
The investigation into Monday's explosion near Red Fort that claimed eight lives has revealed the white Hyundai i20 involved in the blast, bearing a Gurugram registration number, was last owned by a resident of Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir, sources said.
Based on inputs from Delhi Police, Gurugram Police detained Mohammad Salman, a resident of Gurgaon, for questioning.
During interrogation, Salman disclosed that he had sold the car about a year and a half ago to one Devendra, a resident of Okhla in southeast Delhi, and handed over all sale-related documents to Gurugram Police, sources added.
Further probe revealed that Devendra subsequently sold the vehicle -- a Hyundai i20 with the registration HR26CE7674 -- involved in the blast to a buyer in Ambala, Haryana. Investigators said details of the transaction and ownership trail are being verified and shared with central security agencies.
According to sources, the car was eventually purchased by a man named Tariq from Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir.
Police are now working to establish how the explosion occurred when the slow-moving car halted at a traffic light near the Red Fort Metro station on Monday evening.
The blast that also injured 20 people initially sent intelligence and security agencies into a tizzy as no "clear material evidence of bomb like shrapnel and others" has been recovered from the site so far.
However, the extent of the impact pointed to a possible terror angle.
“Either they (the occupants in the car) were transporting explosives from one place to another or were taking a vehicle laden with explosives material in a crowded area, which then exploded. It is still a subject of investigation,” said a source, adding that the truth will likely emerge as forensic analysis continues.
Following the explosion, a nationwide alert was sounded, leading to enhanced security in crowded areas.
The intelligence agencies are "probing all angles" including the potential role of Pakistan-based terror module Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind.
The agencies said that they had alerted the state law enforcement of a possible terror attack at crowded places in Delhi by terror outfits based in Pakistan.
The sources stated that the "intensity of the blast was extremely high" and car and auto fragments were seen scattered across the road. Window panes were flung at a distance of around 300 meters and shattered due to the force of the explosion, they added.
It also shattered nearby streetlights and damaged surrounding structures.
Meanwhile, the US Embassy issued an advisory urging its citizens to avoid the areas surrounding the Red Fort and Chandni Chowk in Delhi and also crowds.
