Delhi Blast Vehicle Traced: Umar Mohammad Drove i20 from Faridabad to Red Fort

The devastating explosion in a Hyundai i20 car near Gate No. 1 of the Red Fort Metro Station marked one of the most alarming security breaches in the national capital in recent years. The blast, which engulfed the vehicle in flames and damaged nearby cars and autorickshaws, occurred in the bustling Old Delhi area adjacent to the iconic 17th-century Mughal fortress—a UNESCO World Heritage Site and symbol of India's independence.

Preliminary forensic analysis points to an improvised explosive device using Ammonium Nitrate Fuel Oil (ANFO), with the car's slow movement at a traffic signal suggesting a targeted detonation in a crowded urban hub. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has convened a high-level security review meeting at 11 AM on November 11, attended by top officials from the Intelligence Bureau, NIA, and Delhi Police, to coordinate the multi-agency response.

CCTV footage traced by the Delhi Police Special Cell has reconstructed the suspect vehicle's route, revealing it entered the capital from Haryana's Faridabad via the Badarpur border around midday, proceeding along the Outer Ring Road toward Old Delhi. The white Hyundai i20, bearing a Haryana registration (HR26), was parked for nearly three hours—from about 3:19 PM to 6:48 PM—in the lot near Sunehri Masjid, close to the Red Fort, where the driver, identified as Dr Mohammad Umar from Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir, remained inside without exiting or meeting anyone.

Sources indicate Umar, a doctor employed at Al Falah Medical College in Faridabad, may have been awaiting instructions or a contact, but surveillance shows no interactions. The car then moved toward central Delhi, stopping at a red light near Gauri Shankar and Jain temples when the explosion occurred, raising suspicions of a fidayeen-style suicide attack. Over 100 additional clips from toll plazas and routes to Kashmere Gate are under analysis to map the full trajectory.

Investigators suspect Umar orchestrated the attack in a panic following the bust of a "white-collar" terror module in Faridabad on November 9-10, where authorities seized 2,900 kg of explosives and arrested two associates: Dr Mujammil Shakeel and Dr Adil Rather, both medical professionals from Jammu and Kashmir linked to the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) network. Umar, believed to have been inside the car at detonation—confirmed by CCTV showing him masked at the wheel—allegedly planned it hastily with two unnamed accomplices to preempt further arrests. DNA testing on a body from the wreckage is underway to verify his death, while 13 individuals, including the car's original owner, Mohammad Salman (detained in Gurugram); used-car dealer contacts from Royal Car Zone in Faridabad Sector 37; and Pulwama resident Tariq (in custody since a prior Jammu and Kashmir Police operation), are under interrogation. The vehicle's ownership chain—originally Salman's, sold to Nadeem, then Tariq, and finally Umar—reveals multiple undocumented transfers, with pending challans for parking violations in Faridabad (September 20) and Gurugram adding to the probe's layers.

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A joint operation involving Delhi Police, NIA, NSG, Intelligence Bureau, Uttar Pradesh ATS, Haryana Police, Gujarat Police, Jammu and Kashmir Police, and forensic experts is unravelling the module's broader network, suspected of procuring ANFO for multiple Delhi targets, including potential IED placements in crowded markets. Umar's family—his mother and brother—was detained in Pulwama for questioning amid unverified social media claims of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) involvement, though JeM links dominate intelligence assessments. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, and opposition leaders like Abhishek Banerjee have expressed condolences, with the U.S. Embassy monitoring developments closely. Delhi's security has been amplified at airports, railways, and heritage sites, evoking echoes of the 2008 serial blasts that killed 30 in similar markets.

As the FIR under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Explosive Substances Act progresses, authorities emphasise that the blast's timing—mere hours after the Faridabad raid—highlights the module's desperation, potentially averting a larger assault. Hospitals like LNJP continue treating the injured, many with burns and shrapnel wounds, while public appeals urge reporting suspicious activities without panic. This incident underscores persistent vulnerabilities in India's urban security amid cross-border threats, prompting calls for enhanced surveillance in border-adjacent states like Haryana and bolstered intelligence-sharing to dismantle radicalised networks infiltrating professional spheres.

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