New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah held a high-level security review meeting in the wake of the blast Monday evening that left 12 people dead and many injured, sources said.
Delhi Police registered an FIR Tuesday into the blast near the Red Fort under the UAPA and conducted raids at multiple locations in the national capital as preliminary findings suggested a link to the terror module uncovered in Faridabad.
The meeting was attended by Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, Director, Intelligence Bureau, Tapan Deka, Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golcha and DG, NIA, Sadanand Vasant Date.
DGP of Jammu and Kashmir Nalin Prabhat also attended the meeting virtually.
Police registered an FIR under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Explosives Act under sections which deal with punishment and conspiracy of a terror attack.
Raids are being conducted at multiple locations by Delhi Police, and the national capital has been placed on high alert with strict vigil being maintained at the airport, railway stations and bus terminals.
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.
Police sources said the first picture of the man driving the car that exploded near the Red Fort emerged in CCTV footage of the area. He allegedly had links to the terror module in Faridabad, where a huge cache of explosive material was seized, they said.
Preliminary findings by police suggest ammonium nitrate, fuel oil and detonators may have been used in the blast near the Red Fort, 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. “Final reports are awaited,” the source added.
Police said CCTV footage of the car that exploded shows a “masked man” driving the car. Multiple teams have been deployed to scan CCTV from the vicinity of the Red Fort and adjoining routes, they added.
Shah, who will hold a review meeting Tuesday morning, had said after the blast that he would hold a detailed analysis of the blast with top security officers.
“Tomorrow morning, we will have a detailed analysis of the blast at the home ministry with senior officers,” Shah told reporters after meeting those injured at the LNJP Hospital here.
The home minister had said that top investigating agencies were probing the blast with full intensity, and would go in-depth into the explosion which took place in a Hyundai i20 car.
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 Monday evening, leaving several vehicles gutted.
Hours before the blast in Delhi, eight people, including three doctors, were arrested and 2,900 kg of explosives were seized with the uncovering of a “white collar” terror module 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 had 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 allegedly 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 has been 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,” 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 is also being monitored,” 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’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 are also probing whether it could be a case of a “suicide bombing” or a larger terror plot, said a source.
Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golcha Monday told reporters that 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.
The Red Fort Metro Station has been closed for commuters, while traffic restrictions have also been imposed in the area.
In a post on X, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation said, “Service Update. Lal Qila Metro Station is closed due to security reasons. All other stations are functional as normal.”
The Delhi Traffic Police issued an advisory regarding restrictions and diversions that have been put in place and advised commuters to avoid these routes from 6 am till further order and use alternative roads for a hassle-free journey.
“No vehicles shall be allowed on Netaji Subhash Marg from Chatta Rail Cut to Subhash Marg Cut and vice versa,” read the advisory.
PTI
