A deadly car bomb explosion in the heart of Delhi and the subsequent discovery of a second vehicle packed with explosives in Faridabad are being investigated as potentially linked acts by a single terror module, security agencies revealed.
The coordinated investigation, involving the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Delhi Police and Haryana Police, is focused on a suspected plot that may have been intended for multiple strikes across the National Capital Region.
The sequence of events began with a high-intensity blast that tore through a Hyundai i20 at a traffic signal on Subhash Marg, near the historic Red Fort. The explosion killed 13 people and injured several others, causing significant damage to nearby vehicles and sending shockwaves through the capital.
According to a report in TOI, the car had been parked for nearly two hours at the Sunheri Masjid parking lot before being driven to the location where it detonated. Critical CCTV footage, which showed the car entering and exiting the parking area alone, has led investigators to suspect the use of a timed or remotely triggered device.
Hours after the Delhi blast and prompted by the intelligence alert, police in Faridabad made a chilling discovery. They recovered a white Swift Dzire laden with explosives, detonators and a remote-triggering device.
Preliminary findings, credited to TOI sources, suggest the two vehicles were part of a coordinated terror plan. Investigators theorise the Swift Dzire may have been intended for a second strike but was abandoned due to heightened security checks across the NCR following the Delhi explosion.
Bomb disposal units successfully secured the Faridabad vehicle. The explosive materials have been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory for analysis to determine their composition and origin.
Central to the investigation is the figure of Dr Umar, an absconding suspect already wanted in connection with the Faridabad explosives case. Security sources cited by TOI said that Dr Umar is linked to both the i20 and the Swift Dzire.
A critical and macabre line of enquiry is whether Dr Umar was himself inside the i20 at the moment of detonation. Agencies are awaiting the results of DNA testing on the deceased to confirm the identities of those killed in the blast.
In response, a massive joint operation has been launched. A case under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Explosives Act has been registered at Delhi's Kotwali Police Station.
Nearly 200 police personnel are reportedly scouring more than 100 CCTV clips from routes including Delhi’s Outer Ring Road, Badarpur border and Kashmere Gate to meticulously trace the i20’s final movements. The NIA is assisting with forensic evidence collection at the blast site.
Home Minister Amit Shah has been briefed and is monitoring the situation, with confirmation that all central and state agencies are working in concert.
The investigation now centres on dismantling what is believed to be a larger terror network with the capability to operate across state borders, with raids underway in multiple locations throughout the National Capital Region.
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