The Hyundai i20 that exploded near Delhi’s Red Fort on Monday evening that killed eight people and injured 20 others has been traced back to Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir. According to initial reports, the car, bearing Haryana registration number HR26, was originally registered in Gurugram under the name Mohammad Salman. The vehicle is believed to have changed ownership several times before being sold to a resident of Shambhura village in Pulwama, identified as Tariq.
Salman, the first registered owner, told investigators that he sold the vehicle to a buyer in Delhi’s Okhla via a broker from Faridabad’s Sector 37 area last year. From there, the car reportedly made its way to Pulwama, where it was bought by Tariq.
Authorities are now trying to determine how the vehicle returned to the capital before it detonated near one of Delhi’s most crowded landmarks. Investigators suspect a possible terror link and are examining whether the Pulwama connection played a role in the attack.
This fresh J&K-Pulwama link has intensified the scope of the investigation. Top agencies including NIA and Delhi Police are now examining potential terror links, especially given Pulwama’s terror history.
“Delhi Police along with Gurugram police detained Md Salman on Monday and is questioning him about the car. He had sold it to a person in Okhla named Devendra. Later, the vehicle was again sold to someone in Ambala and police are tracing the people,” a senior police officer told news agency PTI.
“The blast occurred in a moving Hyundai i20 car in which three people were sitting. We have not found any pellet or puncture in the body of the injured, which is unusual in a bomb blast. We are investigating all angles,” the officer said.
Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golcha said the car, in which the blast took place, had some occupants.
A high alert has been sounded in Delhi, and security has been beefed up at city border points, with vehicle checking intensified.
Amit Shah says detailed review of blast to be held with top security officials
Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced that a comprehensive review of Monday evening’s blast near Delhi’s Red Fort will be held on Tuesday with senior security and intelligence officers. “Tomorrow morning, we will hold a detailed analysis of the blast with senior officers at the Home Ministry,” Shah told reporters after visiting the injured victims at Lok Nayak Jai Prakash (LNJP) Hospital.
Shah said that multiple top investigative agencies are already on the case and will thoroughly examine all possible angles behind the explosion, including the vehicle’s ownership trail and potential terror links.
