E-Paper
Minutes before Red Fort blast: How a Hyundai i20 moved from mosque parking to metro station
At around 6:45 pm, the Hyundai i20 left the parking area and took a U-turn near Old Delhi Railway Station, it then drove along the Chhata Rail Chowk stretch.
Investigators have pieced together the last movements of the white Hyundai i20 that exploded near the Red Fort on Monday evening. CCTV footage from multiple points across central Delhi helped reconstruct the car’s route in the crucial hours before the blast that killed thirteen people and injured 21 others.
In a major breakthrough, authorities have traced the Hyundai to a Kashmir-based doctor linked to a terror module recently busted in Faridabad, officials from the Special Cell said.
The doctor, identified as Dr Umar Un Nabi from Pulwama, was reportedly in touch with two other Jammu and Kashmir doctors arrested in the same case and is suspected to have been driving the car at the time of the explosion.
Hyundai i20 final route reconstructed
According to investigators, the car, carrying three occupants, began its final journey from Daryaganj Market, heading towards the Sunehri Masjid parking lot beside the Red Fort on Shantivan Marg around 4 pm. It remained parked there for almost two hours. Follow Delhi Red Fort blast live updates
At around 6:45 pm, the Hyundai i20 left the parking area and took a U-turn near Old Delhi Railway Station. It then drove along the Chhata Rail Chowk stretch and proceeded towards Lower Subhash Marg.
Just minutes later, at 6:52 pm, as the vehicle slowed down at a traffic signal on Netaji Subhash Marg near the Red Fort Metro Station, and exploded.
Timeline
- 4:00 pm: The white Hyundai i20 left Daryaganj Market and headed towards the Sunehri Masjid parking lot beside Red Fort, where it remained parked for nearly two hours.
- 6:45 pm: It exited the parking lot, took a U-turn near Old Delhi Railway Station, and drove along the Chhata Rail Chowk stretch.
- Final moments: The car then moved towards Lower Subhash Marg, passing Jama Masjid and Jain Mandir, before reaching the Lal Quila Metro Gate 1 stretch.
- 6:52 pm: As it slowed down at a traffic signal on Netaji Subhash Marg, close to the Red Fort Metro Station, the explosion occurred, killing all three occupants and damaging several nearby vehicles.
Blast that shook Delhi
The powerful blast tore through the slow-moving car, setting off a chain reaction that damaged several nearby vehicles, including six cars, two e-rickshaws, an auto-rickshaw, and a bus.
Witnesses described scenes of chaos as flames engulfed the area and thick smoke billowed into the evening sky.
In the wake of the explosion, authorities have stepped up security nationwide. High alerts have been issued across the NCR, Mumbai, and Pune, with increased patrols at metro stations, government buildings, airports, and crowded marketplaces like Sarojini Nagar.
Police presence has also been ramped up across Gurugram, Noida, and Ghaziabad.
Meanwhile, investigators have detained two previous owners of the Hyundai i20 as part of efforts to trace its chain of ownership and establish how it reached the blast site.
Delhi Police have invoked multiple stringent sections in the case, including Section 16 and Section 18 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), which deal with acts of terrorism and punishment for conspiracy, along with Sections 3 and 4 of the Explosive Substances Act, and sections related to murder and attempt to murder.
