New Delhi: Authorities have uncovered a chilling connection between a devastating car explosion near Delhi’s historic Red Fort and a sophisticated “white collar” terror network recently dismantled by security forces in Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana, according to senior officials speaking on Tuesday morning.
The vehicle at the center of the Sunday night blast which claimed nine lives amid the chaos of Chandni Chowk’s crowded streets belonged to Dr. Umar Mohammad, a physician from Pulwama in south Kashmir. Sources revealed that Dr. Mohammad, identified as a member of the terror cell, apparently detonated the device in a moment of desperation after learning of the arrests of two fellow operatives, Dr. Mujammil Shakeel and Dr. Adil Rather. The explosion, which engulfed at least six vehicles and several auto-rickshaws, left a trail of mangled wreckage, bloodied roads, and grieving families in one of the capital’s most vibrant districts.
Delhi Police have reclassified the incident as a terrorist strike, slapping charges under Sections 16 and 18 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for terrorist acts and penalties, alongside Sections 3 and 4 of the Explosive Substances Act, and counts of murder and attempted murder. Investigators suspect the bomb relied on a hefty dose of ammonium nitrate a common fertilizer ingredient with deadly potential in improvised explosives. The same substance, totaling over 2,900 kilograms, was seized in a series of raids in Faridabad, Haryana, in the days leading up to the attack.
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The breakthrough came swiftly after joint teams from Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir Police raided two properties rented by Dr. Shakeel in Faridabad. On Sunday, they uncovered 350 kilograms of explosives, 20 timers, assault rifles, handguns, and ammunition in a room he had leased in Dhoj for three and a half years. Just four kilometers away in Fatehpur Taga village, another search yielded 2,563 kilograms of the suspected bomb-making material. These operations, part of a 15-day probe, exposed a network of radicalized professionals allegedly directed by handlers in Pakistan and beyond, who engaged in activities like distributing propaganda posters for groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammad a trail J&K Police had been pursuing for 26 days.
Faridabad Police Commissioner Satish Golcha described the scene: a slow-moving car halting at a traffic signal before erupting, with the force rippling out to damage nearby vehicles. The car’s suspicious path from Red Fort toward central Delhi hints at broader targets in the heart of the city, officials noted.
A sprawling multi-agency probe is now in full swing, involving Delhi Police, J&K Police, the National Investigation Agency (NIA), National Security Guard (NSG), Intelligence Bureau, Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (UP ATS), Haryana Police, Gujarat Police, and forensic experts. In Pulwama, J&K Police detained Tariq, a local whose initial interrogation points to the car’s circuitous ownership: first to Aamir, then Tariq, and finally Dr. Mohammad. More details are anticipated by Tuesday afternoon.
Home Minister Amit Shah addressed the nation late Monday, vowing a thorough examination of all leads, including possible cross-border elements, as Delhi heightens its vigilance. The Faridabad module’s key figures remain in custody, their ties to the Red Fort carnage under intense scrutiny.
