The starting point of the investigation into the shocking blast near Delhi's iconic Red Fort last evening was the mangled remains of the white i20 car that housed the explosives. The investigators tracked the car to unravel the plot leading to the explosion that shook the country and set off alarm bells in India's security establishment.
The car, with registration number HR26CE7674, was manufactured in 2013. It was registered in the name of Salman in 2014, and the registration certificate states he was the second owner of the car. The certificate mentioned that Salman lived in Gurugram.
Gurugram To Delhi To Ambala To J&K
When police contacted Salman after the blast, he said he had sold off the car to Devendra, a resident of Okhla. Devendra sold it to a man in Ambala, who later sold it to Aamir in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama. From Aamir, the car went into the hands of Dr Umar Mohammad, who worked at Al-Falah University in Faridabad. It is suspected that Umar was at the wheel of the car when the blast took place. Security agencies are also investigating whether it was a case of suicide bombing.
Many Drivers, One Owner On Paper
Despite the car changing so many hands and moving from one state to another, it remained registered in the name of Salman. Those in the know say this is not uncommon in the second-hand car industry and that vehicles are often bought and sold without re-registration to bypass documentation costs.
Criminal elements often look for vehicles without documentation so that they cannot be traced back to them. And used car dealers, looking to save up some money, don't bother with the registration process either. The result: any crime involving the vehicle leads investigators to the original owner on paper.
A 3-Hour Wait, And Then...
Investigators have identified the route the white i20 took before reaching the traffic signal of Netaji Subhash Marg, the site of the blast. According to the probe so far, the drive of death started in Faridabad. The car entered the national capital through the Badarpur border, then moved to Sarai Kale Khan, the busy ITO intersection, before reaching a parking lot near the Red Fort Metro station.
CCTV footage shows the car entering the parking lot at 3.19 pm yesterday. For the next 3 hours, the car remained in the parking lot. The investigation has revealed that the driver did not even step out of the vehicle during this time, apparently determined not to leave the car unattended. Around 6.28 pm, the car left the parking lot and approached the traffic signal. At 6.52 pm, it exploded and multiple vehicles were caught in the blast.
