Car Sold 7 Times Before Blast, Owner Unchanged! Stood Near Mosque for 3 Hours, Blast Occurred 4 Minutes Later

Delhi Car Blast: An explosion near Delhi's historic Red Fort on Monday evening has sent shockwaves across the country. This incident has not only raised serious questions about the security system in the capital but has also entangled investigative agencies in a complex web.

According to preliminary investigations, the white i20 car that exploded has changed seven owners in a year, but the car remained registered under the name of the second buyer.

This car is now considered the most crucial link in this terror plot.

Car Becomes a Challenge for Investigative Agencies

According to an NDTV report, a special team of the Delhi Police and the National Security Guard (NSG) reached the spot immediately after the blast. The car with the number HR26CE7674 was the first to come under investigation.

Upon scrutinising the records, it was found that the car was manufactured in 2013 and registered in 2014 in the name of Salman, a resident of Gurugram.

Salman was listed as the second owner of the car in the documents. Subsequently, the police team contacted Salman. Salman informed the police that he had sold the car to Devendra, a resident of Okhla.

Devendra later sold the vehicle to a man from Ambala, who subsequently passed it on to Amir, a resident of Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir. After Amir, the car changed hands again, going to Dr Muzammil Shakeel of Al-Falah University in Faridabad, before finally reaching Dr Umar Mohammad.

Case Registered, Four Suspects in Custody

The Special Cell of the Delhi Police has registered a case at Kotwali police station under sections 16 and 18 of the UAPA, the Explosives Act, and several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). According to sources, the police have taken four suspects into custody from a hotel in Paharganj in the early hours. Interrogation is ongoing. Investigative agencies are contacting every person who bought or sold this car at any stage. According to security sources, initial investigations suggest that an attempt was made to deliberately make the car 'untraceable' to make it difficult to reach the real conspirators.

Car Owners Changed Multiple Times Under a Single Registration

The most significant finding in the investigation is that the car changed hands among at least seven people, but it remained registered in Salman's name on paper. This means that despite so many owners changing, the car's registration remained in Salman's name. This is what is complicating the investigation for security agencies. On the other hand, according to experts, this is common in the second-hand vehicle trade. Often, buyers do not transfer the registration to avoid taxes and paperwork. This negligence creates an opportunity for criminal elements, as it becomes difficult to trace the actual owner of such vehicles.

Car Parked for Three Hours Before Explosion

CCTV footage has deepened this mystery. According to investigators, the car came to Delhi from Faridabad, crossed the Badarpur border, and reached near the Red Fort Metro Station via ITO and Sarai Kale Khan. According to CCTV footage, the car entered a parking lot near a mosque at 3:19 PM and remained parked there for the next three hours. During this time, the driver did not step out of the vehicle. After this, at 6:48 PM, the car left the parking lot and reached the traffic signal on Netaji Subhash Marg, and at 6:52 PM, a loud explosion occurred, engulfing several vehicles parked nearby.

Was it a Suicide Attack?

The sudden explosion in the car near the Red Fort caused panic among the people in the vicinity, while Delhi Police and fire brigade teams immediately reached the spot. Security agencies are primarily identifying the person in the car as Dr. Umar. Along with this, efforts are being made to ascertain whether the person in the car detonated the explosive themselves, resulting in their death, or if it was a remote-triggered explosion. Preliminary investigations indicate that it was an IED (Improvised Explosive Device). NSG and forensic experts are conducting a chemical analysis of the debris recovered from the explosion site. Meanwhile, police and intelligence agencies have become active in Faridabad, Gurugram, Ambala, and Pulwama. Local police, the National Investigation Agency (NIA), and the Intelligence Bureau (IB) are engaged in uncovering this entire network.