Delhi car blast: Masked driver identified as Mohammad Umar; probe flags fidayeen angle

New Delhi: A white Hyundai i20 exploded near the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Marg traffic signal by the Red Fort on Monday evening, killing eight people and injuring 20, according to preliminary findings. The blast occurred around 6:52 pm on November 10. 

Investigators have registered a case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, invoking sections 16 and 18, along with sections 3 and 4 of the Explosive Substances Act. Forensic work and evidence collection are underway as part of the terror-angle probe. 

CCTV footage captured moments before the explosion shows the i20 moving through heavy traffic. A man in a black face mask is visible on the driver’s seat and is being identified in the probe as Mohammad Umar. Agencies are using technical and human intelligence to fix the driver’s identity. 

Special Cell sources suspect a “fidayeen-style” attack, with explosives fitted inside the i20. Lines of inquiry include possible links to a Faridabad-based module uncovered recently. 

The car was registered with the Gurugram North RTO as HR 26 7624. Records list Mohammed Salman as the owner. He told police he sold the vehicle to a man named Tarek from Pulwama. Tarek has been detained by Jammu and Kashmir Police for questioning. 

An ownership trail under verification indicates the vehicle changed hands multiple times – from Salman to Nadeem and a Faridabad used-car dealer, Royal Car Zone, then to Tarek, and later to Umar. 

Investigators are scanning area CCTV feeds and reconstructing the car’s route and halt points to establish whether the device was triggered inside the vehicle and whether any accomplices were nearby. The Special Cell is coordinating leads while forensic results are awaited.