Delhi on Edge: Loud Sound Near Mahipalpur Turns Out to Be Bus Tyre Burst

A routine tyre burst on a Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) bus triggered widespread panic in southwest Delhi's Mahipalpur area on November 13, 2025, as residents mistook the loud noise for another explosion, just three days after the deadly car bomb near the Red Fort heightened fears across the capital. The incident unfolded around 9:19 a.m. near the Radisson Hotel, a bustling transit hub en route to the airport and Gurugram, prompting frantic calls to emergency services reporting a "blast-like" sound; three fire tenders were dispatched within minutes, and police cordoned off the vicinity amid evacuations and traffic snarls on the Delhi-Gurugram highway.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southwest) Amit Goel confirmed the cause after local enquiries: the rear tyre of a DTC bus heading toward Dhaula Kuan had burst under pressure, producing a sharp pop that echoed through the high-density commercial zone. No injuries or suspicious items were found, and the situation normalised swiftly, but the episode underscored the lingering trauma from Monday's terror attack that claimed 13 lives and injured over 20 others.

The scare unfolded against a backdrop of amplified security measures citywide, with the Union Cabinet on November 12 labelling the Red Fort blast a "heinous terrorist incident" perpetrated by "anti-national forces", vowing zero tolerance and expedited justice. Investigators, now under the National Investigation Agency (NIA), have confirmed via preliminary DNA matching that Dr Umar Un Nabi, a 35-year-old assistant professor from Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir, was driving the white Hyundai i20 laden with ANFO explosives when it detonated around 6:52 p.m. on November 10 near the Red Fort Metro Station.

Forensic experts matched samples from a severed leg trapped between the accelerator and steering wheel to Nabi's maternal DNA, collected from his family in Samboora village; a full report is pending, but the identification aligns with CCTV footage tracing the vehicle's erratic path from Faridabad through over 50 Delhi locations that day. Nabi, employed at Al-Falah University, allegedly panicked after raids on November 7 netted 2,900 kg of ammonium nitrate, detonators, and assault rifles from associates' hideouts, aborting a larger plot for serial blasts on December 6—the Babri Masjid demolition anniversary.

The "white-collar" terror module, linked to Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), exploited the doctors' professional facades for procurement and planning, with Nabi, Dr Muzammil Shakeel Ganaie, Dr Adeel Rather, and Dr Shaheen Saeed pooling Rs 30 lakh to source NPK fertilisers from Gurugram and Nuh markets, smuggling lab chemicals from the university to fabricate IEDs stored in Dhauj and Taga villages. Interrogations of eight arrests, including nine more in Kanpur yielding ricin precursors and firearms, reveal reconnaissance trips to Turkey for handler coordination and initial targets like Republic Day at the Red Fort; Nabi's family expressed shock, insisting on his studious demeanour, while Al-Falah University distanced itself, condemning the blast and denying institutional ties. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited survivors at LNJP Hospital on November 12, reviewing treatments and affirming national resolve.

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As Delhi's Air Quality Index hovers in the "severe" zone, compounding urban stress, the Mahipalpur false alarm—echoed in viral social media clips of fleeing crowds—highlights psychological ripple effects, with residents reporting heightened vigilance near transit points. Authorities have shut the Red Fort Metro station indefinitely for forensics and beefed up patrols with National Security Guard (NSG) deployments, while the J&K Police raid 13 valley locations for accomplices. This convergence of routine mishaps and terror underscores vulnerabilities in a metropolis of 30 million, where one pop can evoke fireballs, demanding not just security but community reassurance in the probe's unfolding chapters.

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