- CCTV shows three men getting pollution check for Hyundai i20 on Oct 29 at 4:20 pm
- The car was sold to Umar Mohammad, suspected suicide bomber, on the same day
- The car was sold seven times before reaching Umar Mohammad, involving multiple individuals, sources said
New CCTV video has emerged showing three men getting a pollution check of the white Hyundai i20 car that exploded near Delhi's Red Fort on Monday evening, killing nine people.
The clip dates back to October 29 at 4:20 pm - this was the same day the vehicle was sold to Dr Umar Mohammad, the suspected suicide bomber. The car, with the number plate HR 26CE7674, can be seen parked next to the Pollution Under Control (PUC) booth. A man wearing a shirt is seen speaking to the officials. Minutes later, two other men - one wearing a grey t-shirt and another a white t-shirt and a backpack - appear. One of the two bearded men is suspected to be Tariq Malik - who was privy to the exchange of the car.
The three men then sat in the vehicle and left.
Earlier, a video showed the car entering the parking lot near the Red Fort on Monday at 3:19 pm, with the suspected suicide bomber's hand on the window. He can be seen in another picture in which he appears to be wearing a blue and black t-shirt. The car then left around 6:30 pm.
According to sources, the suspected suicide bomber did not get out of the car even for a second when the car was parked. He was either waiting for someone or awaiting instructions in the parking lot, they said.
Sources said that the original owner of the i20, Mohd Salman - who was arrested - sold the car to a man named Devender in March. Devender then sold it to a man called Aamir Rashid, who handed the vehicle over to Umar Mohammad. Tariq was involved in this, they said.
The car was bought and sold seven times, sources added.
The car blast took place at 6.52 pm near the Red Fort Metro Station, leaving mangled bodies and wrecked cars scattered in the busy area. Disturbing visuals showed bodies on the ground and severed body parts. A large number of security personnel filled the area moments after the blast, with ambulances carrying several injured people and taking them to the nearby Lok Nayak Hospital (LNJP).
The incident occurred on a day when 2,900 kg of explosives were found just 50 km from the capital, in neighbouring Haryana's Faridabad. Sources said that Umar Mohammad, who owned the car, reportedly panicked and triggered the blast near the Red Fort after investigators arrested two key members of the module - Dr Mujammil Shakeel and Dr Adil Rather - and seized the explosives, the sources said.
He planned the attack with two more associates and planted a detonator in the car, sources said.
Ammonium nitrate, which was found in Faridabad, was used in the blast, sources added.
