New Delhi: Shocking CCTV footage and images have surfaced showing the white Hyundai i20 involved in the deadly explosion near the Red Fort on Monday evening, which claimed nine lives and left 20 others injured.
According to sources, the car — bearing the number plate HR 26CE 7674 — was parked in a lot near the Red Fort for over three hours. Surveillance footage shows the vehicle entering the parking area at 3:19 pm and leaving around 6:30 pm, minutes before the powerful blast occurred.
A one-minute video clip shows the car crossing the Badarpur border, while investigators are now mapping the vehicle’s route. In one image, the suspected suicide bomber’s hand is seen resting on the car window as the vehicle enters the parking lot. Another frame captures the driver, reportedly wearing a blue and black T-shirt. Sources indicated that the suspect never stepped out of the vehicle during the entire time it was parked, suggesting he may have been waiting for instructions or someone’s arrival.
The explosion took place at 6:52 pm near the Red Fort Metro Station, ripping through the busy area. The blast left mangled vehicles and charred bodies scattered on the road, as emergency teams rushed to the scene. Ambulances ferried the injured to Lok Nayak Hospital (LNJP), where several victims remain under treatment.
Investigators are treating the incident as a terror attack. Delhi Police have invoked sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) after forensic analysis and intelligence inputs indicated possible terror links. Following the incident, a high alert was declared not only in Delhi but also across major cities including Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Jaipur, Hyderabad, and states such as Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Bihar — where polling for the final election phase is underway.
In a major parallel development, security agencies recovered 2,900 kg of explosives from Haryana’s Faridabad, barely 50 km from the national capital. Investigators believe there may be a connection between the Red Fort blast and a “white-collar” terror module operating out of Kashmir.
Sources revealed that the Hyundai i20 belonged to Dr. Umar Mohammad, a medical professional from South Kashmir’s Pulwama district, allegedly linked to the same module. Dr. Mohammad is suspected to have triggered the explosion after two of his associates — Dr. Mujammil Shakeel and Dr. Adil Rather — were arrested earlier in connection with the seized explosives.
The probe into the blast is ongoing, with multiple central and state agencies working together to trace the wider network behind the attack.