Red Fort blast: Hyundai i20 changed multiple hands, sold by Haryana man to Pulwama resident

New Delhi: Following the high-intensity blast near Delhi’s Red Fort on Monday evening that killed nine people and injured 20 others, police are probing the ownership trail of the Hyundai i20 involved in the explosion.

One of the owners of the car is reportedly a man from Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama, NDTV reported.

Earlier, Haryana Police in Gurugram confirmed the detention of Mohd Salman, the original owner of the vehicle bearing registration number HR26 CE 7674. Salman told police he had sold the car to a man named Tariq, a resident of Pulwama. It remains unclear whether Tariq subsequently sold the vehicle to a third person.

Sources also claimed that Salman initially sold the car to a person in Okhla, identified as Devendra, who later resold it to someone in Ambala. Investigators are now tracing each link in the chain of ownership to determine who had possession of the vehicle at the time of the blast.

The explosion occurred inside a moving Hyundai i20 near the Red Fort on a busy evening, setting several nearby vehicles ablaze. The blast killed nine people and left at least 20 others injured. The wounded were rushed to LNJP Hospital.

“The car in which the blast occurred had three occupants. No pellets or puncture wounds were found on the injured, which is unusual in a bomb explosion. We are exploring all angles,” a senior Delhi Police officer said.

Police Commissioner Satish Golcha confirmed that the car had occupants when it exploded. A high alert has been declared across the capital, with security tightened at all border points and vehicle checks intensified.

Eyewitnesses described scenes of panic as flames engulfed nearby cars following the explosion.

Pulwama connection
Pulwama was the site of one of India’s deadliest terror attacks in 2019, when a suicide bomber targeted a CRPF convoy, killing 40 soldiers. The attack was claimed by the Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed.

Police are now investigating whether there is any connection between the Red Fort blast and terrorist networks operating from Jammu and Kashmir.