- One owner of the Hyundai i20 car that exploded near Delhi's Red Fort is from Pulwama, J&K
- Mohd Salman, original owner of the car, was arrested in Gurugram. He had sold it to Tariq from Pulwama
- The car exploded near Lal Qila metro station, causing fires and multiple casualties
One of the owners of the Hyundai i20 that exploded near Delhi's Red Fort Monday evening – killing nine people and injuring 20 others in a shocking high-intensity blast – is a man from Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama, sources told NDTV.
Minutes earlier police in Haryana's Gurugram confirmed the arrest of a Mohd Salman, the original owner of the i20 bearing the number plate HR26 CE 7674. However, Salman told the police he had sold the car – to a man called Tariq, who hails from J&K's Pulwama.
It is unclear at this point if Tariq then re-sold the car to a third party.
What has been confirmed, though, is the car slowed as it approached a traffic signal near Gate 1 of the Lal Qila metro station at 6.52 pm. It exploded within seconds, and no more than a minute, later. Sources said the explosion originated from the rear of the vehicle.
READ | Delhi Blast Car Was Hyundai i20 With Haryana Plates, Explosion Towards Rear
The force of the blast set nearly two dozen vehicles around, including an e-rickshaw, on fire and the resulting blaze burned for nearly 40 minutes before firefighters managed to get it under control.
Disturbing visuals showed bodies on the ground, severed body parts, and mangled cars.
Home Minister Amit Shah has been briefed on the blast and the investigation and has, in turn, briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Shah has also visited the injured in hospital.
READ | "In-Depth Probe": Home Minister Amit Shah Visits Delhi Red Fort Blast Site
The blast came hours after Jammu and Kashmir Police recovered nearly 3,000kg of explosives from two residential buildings in Faridabad in Haryana.
READ | 2,900 kg Explosives Found At 2 Houses Of J&K Doctor In Faridabad
The materials – which included 350kg of ammonium nitrate, a commonly-used fertiliser that can be turned into a deadly bomb - were seized based on intel from arrested J&K-based doctor, Adil Rather.
READ | Surat, Kashmir, Faridabad, Delhi: A Terror Trail In Red Fort Blast?
The blasts also followed the arrest of another medical professional, this time a Dr Ahmed Mohiyuddin Saiyed from the town of Adalaj near state capital Gandhinagar. Saiyed was carrying three handguns, two Austrian-made Glock pistols and an Italian-made Beretta, as well as ammunition for the guns.
Pulwama was the site of one of the worst terrorist attacks on India. On February 14, 2019, a military convoy on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was attacked. A suicide bomber in a Maruti Eeco van launched the attack in which the terrorist - identified as Adil Ahmad Dar - and 40 soldiers were killed.
Pakistan-based terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammed claimed the attack, to which India responded with precision military strikes that neutralised a training camp and killed between 300 and 350 terrorists.
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