Red Fort blast: Cops track down vehicles parked near exploded car; quiz drivers, owners

Investigators probing the Red Fort blast that killed 13 have traced dozens of vehicles parked near the exploded Hyundai i20 and are questioning their drivers and owners to reconstruct the events, an official said on Saturday.

Police have prepared a detailed log of every vehicle that entered the Sunehri Masjid parking area, where the blast took place, during the three hours the exploded car remained there.

The log includes registration numbers, entry timing, exit timing and ownership details.

A Delhi Police team, assisted by a bomb detection squad, has stationed itself at the parking area, inspecting all vehicles that remained there since the blast. Cars found present at the spot at the time of the explosion are being checked first and, once cleared, are being returned to their owners, officials said.

“Every driver who was present in the parking area around that time is being contacted and questioned. We are verifying whether they saw the Haryana-registered HR-26 Hyundai i20, whether anyone accompanied the driver Umar Nabi, and whether they noticed anyone entering or exiting the car,” a source said.

Investigators are showing Umar’s photograph to drivers and vehicle owners to ascertain whether he was alone or if another person interacted with him during the three hours he stayed in the parking lot.

Officials said the exercise is crucial to determine whether the explosive was planted inside the car at the parking facility.

Parallelly, the Delhi Police Special Cell has registered a separate FIR under Sections related to criminal conspiracy to probe the larger plot behind the blast. The initial FIR registered under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) has already been transferred to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

Sources said several vehicles were parked near the exploded car when Umar arrived and left it at the site. Police believe that the movements of those vehicle owners — and what they may have seen — could be key to understanding the timeline and identifying possible accomplices.

Meanwhile, investigators are also examining whether the arrested doctor, Dr Muzammil Ganaie, had regular contact with a wider network of doctors linked to Al Falah University in Haryana’s Faridabad district.

According to sources, around 15 doctors known to be in touch with Muzammil have gone untraceable.

“Call detail records indicate multiple conversations between Muzammil and several doctors. When teams tried contacting them, their phones were switched off. A team sent to Al Falah University found many of these individuals missing from campus,” a source said.

Agencies are probing whether these missing doctors played any role in planning or facilitating the alleged terror module.

On November 10, central agencies had busted what they described as a ‘white-collar terror module’ operating across Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, recovering 2,900 kg of explosive material and arresting eight people, including three doctors. Hours later, the high-intensity blast ripped through the slow-moving car near the Red Fort metro station.

Further investigation is underway.