New Delhi: A newly surfaced CCTV footage has shed light on the moments leading up to Monday night’s devastating car explosion near Delhi’s Red Fort, which killed nine people and injured several others.
The video reportedly captures Dr Mohammad Umar, a suspected terrorist linked to the Faridabad terror module, as reported by India Today. He can be seen driving the Hyundai i20 which later detonated in the crowded area.
According to cops, the high-intensity blast occurred around 6:52 pm, during peak evening hours when the vicinity, particularly near the historic Sunehri Masjid, was bustling with tourists and locals. The footage shows the white Hyundai i20 entering the Red Fort parking area at 3:19 pm and departing at 6:48 pm, just minutes before the explosion.
Initially, Umar’s face is clearly visible behind the wheel, but as the car moves further, a masked man appears to take the driver’s seat, raising questions about whether the vehicle changed hands before the detonation.
Delhi Police Reconstructs Car Route
The Delhi Police’s Special Cell has partially reconstructed the car’s route using multiple CCTV clips. The vehicle is believed to have entered the capital from the Badarpur border, but parts of its journey remain under investigation. Intelligence sources in Jammu and Kashmir have traced the car’s ownership history, revealing that it originally belonged to Mohammad Salman, who was arrested Monday night.
Complex Trail Of Car Ownership
The car reportedly changed hands several times, first to Nadeem, then to a used-car dealer, Royal Car Zone in Faridabad’s Sector 37. All contact numbers associated with the dealership have since been found switched off.
The vehicle was later purchased by Pulwama resident Tariq and finally by Mohammad Umar. Following the recent arrest of Dr. Muzamil Shakeel, from whom police recovered nearly 2,900 kilograms of explosive-making material, Tariq was detained for questioning. Officials suspect he, too, is a member of the Faridabad terror module.
Accoridng to an India Today report quoting sources, the Red Fort attack may have been a desperate or retaliatory act. They believe Umar panicked after Shakeel’s arrest and executed the explosion as a possible fidayeen (suicide) operation. Interestingly, the same Hyundai i20 had been fined for illegal parking in Faridabad on September 20, and its registration certificate still lists Salman as the official owner.
Cops are now meticulously tracking the vehicle’s sale trail to confirm its last possessor. Meanwhile, forensic teams are conducting DNA tests on the remains recovered from the blast site to identify the person who was driving the car at the moment of detonation.
