New Delhi: Investigators suspect a terror angle behind the car blast near Red Fort, which killed at least eight people and injured dozens, on Monday evening.
They are also probing if the blast was linked to the cache of arms and explosives material, believed to be ammonium nitrate, recovered from Faridabad earlier in the day. Two doctors from Kashmir were arrested in connection with the recovery.
Initial probe into the blast near Red Fort did not find any ballistic material or projectiles, and no pellet or shrapnel injuries were reported among victims and survivors of the explosion.
The deaths and injuries were caused by burns, sources said, adding that shrapnel injuries are typically seen in blasts involving conventional explosives.
The explosion is believed to have occurred in a moving Hyundai i20 car, with occupants inside, and not from a parked vehicle as initially suspected.
“The blast appears to have occurred at the rear side of the car,” a police source said, adding that no crater was formed at the site—usually seen in explosions involving high-intensity devices.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah later confirmed that the blast was reported in an i20 car
“Teams from the Delhi Crime Branch and Delhi Special Branch arrived at the spot. NSG and NIA teams, along with the FSL, have now begun a thorough investigation. Orders have been given to examine all nearby CCTV cameras. We are exploring all possibilities and will conduct a thorough investigation, taking all possibilities into account,” Shah said in a statement before visiting the site of the blast on Monday.
At least eight people were confirmed dead in Monday evening’s blast. Dozens more who were injured have been rushed to LNJP Hospital for treatment.
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