New Delhi: The Delhi Police have invoked sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, in the FIR registered after the blast outside the Red Fort metro station, sources in the Delhi Police told ThePrint, suggesting that the incident was indeed an act of terror.
The FIR was registered in the intervening night between Monday and Tuesday at the Kotwali police station against unidentified persons. It includes Sections 16 and 18 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, which deal with punishment for terrorist acts and conspiracy related to such acts, along with Sections 3 and 4 of the Explosive Substances Act, which pertain to explosions likely to endanger life or cause serious injury.
Additionally, Sections 103 and 109 of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), which cover offences such as murder and attempt to murder, have also been invoked.
The FIR was filed based on an initial assessment by Delhi Police officers and the collection of materials from the scene of the blast, located right outside Gate 1 of the Lal Quila metro station.
Shortly after the blast, teams from the Delhi Police, including its anti-terror unit, Special Cell, and the Crime Branch, reached the spot, followed by teams from National Investigation Agency (NIA) and National Security Guards (NSG) to assist the local police in evidence collection and subsequent investigation.
Earlier, ThePrint reported that investigators traced the blast to a white Hyundai i20 car that belonged to a doctor hailing from Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama. The doctor, identified as Umar Mohammed, has been identified as the person behind the blast. Police are now searching for Umar and checking if he is among the deceased.
Sources in the Delhi Police suggested that the entire route of the White car was traced through footage obtained from CCTV cameras, and investigators have zeroed in on nearly a dozen suspects or persons linked to the blast who are being questioned.
Faced with questions from the reporters at the site of the incident Tuesday morning, North Delhi Deputy Commissioner of Police Raja Banthia said that an investigation is underway to identify all aspects of the case.
(Edited by Shashank Kishan)