Delhi Red Fort blast: 13 dead, probe teams piece together chain of events as capital on high alert | Top developments

WChapeau seemed the like an ordinary bicycle mon eve turned into a nightmare as chaos ripped through the heart of Delhi. A powerful explosion tore through a slow-moving white Hyundai i20 near the historic Red Fort, killing at least 13 people and injuring several others. The blast, which erupted during the rush hour, set off panic across the capital and left the city’s streets strewn with charred debris.The explosion occurred around 6:52 pm on Netaji Subhash Marg, close to the Red Fort Metro Station, as the car came to a halt at a traffic signal. Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golcha said the ensuing blaze spread rapidly, engulfing at least six cars, two e-rickshaws, an auto-rickshaw and a bus. Most of the injuries, officials said, were caused by burns.Security has been stepped up across the country as a precaution, with high alerts issued for the NCR, Mumbai and Pune. Patrols and checks have been intensified at government buildings, metro stations, airports, and crowded markets such as Sarojini Nagar, as well as across NCR cities including Gurugram, Noida and Ghaziabad. Follow Delhi Red Fort blast live updatesMeanwhile, investigators have detained two previous owners of the Hyundai i20 as part of efforts to trace the vehicle’s chain of ownership and determine how it ended up at the blast site.Delhi Red Fort blast: Top developmentsAuthorities are still trying to determine what triggered the explosion. “We are exploring all possibilities and will conduct a thorough investigation, taking all possibilities into account,” Union home minister Amit Shah saidShah said that specialised teams from the Delhi Police Crime Branch, Special Cell, NSG, NIA, and FSL were at the scene within ten minutes.While officials have not ruled out foul play, one officer familiar with the probe said investigators are examining whether the blast may have been caused by an explosive device being transported that went off accidentally.According to an earlier HT report, the officer, who asked not to be named, noted that the intensity of the explosion and the resulting heat did not look like a CNG cylinder blast as theorised initially. He suggested the possible use of ammonia gel or a similar explosive.As per the registration papers of the vehicle, shared by investigators, the car had been retrofitted with a CNG tank, leading to early confusion about the cause.A senior Special Cell officer told HT, “No nails, no splinters, no shrapnel, no wires, no chemicals were found at the spot and no suspicious debris were found either.”Investigators have detained two previous owners of the i20 to trace its chain of sale. Gurugram Police said the car was originally registered to a man named Mohammed Salman. “He sold the vehicle to a man named Devender, a resident of Okhla, around one-and-a-half years ago,” said Sandeep Kumar, spokesperson for the Gurugram Police.“We have handed over Salman to the Delhi Police. Devender has been arrested, and both are being questioned to trace the subsequent sale,” he added.Devender told police that he later sold the car to a man named Tariq, who in turn sold it to someone in Ambala. Investigators are still trying to locate the last buyer.Early CCTV analysis suggests the car was parked for nearly two hours in a lot beside the Red Fort before the explosion. Footage shows the i20 arriving near the monument’s Shantivan Marg side around 4 pm with three occupants.Around two hours later, it was seen leaving the parking lot, taking a U-turn near Old Delhi Railway Station, and then heading towards Lower Subhash Marg – where it exploded moments later. The area around Subhash Marg remains sealed off, with probe teams analysing material evidence through the night.Hospital officials said among the injured were 14 residents of Delhi, three from Uttar Pradesh, one from Uttarakhand, and one from Himachal Pradesh.(With inputs from HT correspondents)