Delhi Red Fort Blast: Car Explosion Caught on CCTV

Newly released CCTV footage has captured the precise moment a white Hyundai i20 exploded on a heavily trafficked road near Delhi’s Red Fort. This incident occurred two days after a blast that resulted in nine deaths and left nearly two dozen people injured. The video, originating from a traffic camera located near Gate Number 1 of the Red Fort Metro Station, shows the car moving slowly through a multitude of e-rickshaws, auto-rickshaws, and other vehicles. At approximately 6:52 pm on Monday, the car suddenly erupted in flames. The blast caused substantial damage to nearby vehicles and buildings, sending panic through the crowded Old Delhi area. The government has officially designated this as a ‘heinous terror act,’ and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has taken over the investigation. The CCTV footage clearly shows the i20 inching through the congestion before the fiery explosion. Emergency services responded rapidly, but the vehicle was reduced to a burnt-out wreck. Authorities have confirmed nine individuals lost their lives, with at least twelve others wounded. The vehicle involved has been identified as a white Hyundai i20, bearing registration number HR 26CE7674. It is believed to have been driven by Dr. Umar Nabi, a 32-year-old medical practitioner allegedly linked to a terror network with connections to Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). Reports suggest Dr. Nabi purchased the i20 on October 29th from a dealer in Faridabad. Surveillance footage indicates that shortly after acquiring the car, Nabi visited a Pollution Under Control (PUC) booth near the dealership. He then purportedly drove the vehicle to Al-Falah Medical College and parked it next to a car belonging to Dr. Muzammil Shakeel, who has since been arrested in connection with the seizure of 2,900 kg of explosives. Shakeel’s vehicle was registered under the name of Dr. Shaheen Saeed, a doctor from Lucknow who was also detained due to alleged terror links. The Hyundai i20 was subsequently tracked by surveillance cameras as it traveled through various parts of Delhi, including Connaught Place and Mayur Vihar, before arriving at the Sunehri Masjid parking lot in Chandni Chowk. Footage shows a man, presumed to be Nabi, resting his hand on the car’s window. The vehicle remained parked for over three hours before exiting towards Netaji Subhash Marg, the road adjacent to the Red Fort, where it detonated amid the slow-moving evening traffic.