- NIA formed a special team led by DG Vijay Sakhare to probe Red Fort blast
- The team includes IG, two DIGs, three SPs, and several DSP-level officers
- NIA will take Jaish module case diaries from Jammu, Delhi, and Haryana Police for probe
Anti-terror agency NIA has formed a special 1-member team to probe the blast near Delhi's Red Fort that killed nine people and injured 20 others, sources said. The team, led by NIA DG Vijay Sakhare, comprises of Inspector General of Police (IG), two Deputy General of Police (DIG), three Superintendent of Police (SP), and the remaining are DSP-level officers.
The agency will take possession of all case diaries of the Jaish module from the Jammu and Kashmir Police, Delhi Police, and Haryana Police to uncover its operational capabilities and financial support.
The NIA DG and the Intelligence Bureau (IB) chief will be holding a meeting today, sources said.
The case was handed over to the NIA on Tuesday after Union Home Minister Amit Shah took stock of the investigation.
More than 1,000 CCTV footages are being scanned by investigative agencies. They are also monitoring social media activity and collecting mobile phone data from several locations across Delhi.
The blast took place on Monday at 6:52 pm near the Red Fort Metro Station, leaving mangled bodies and wrecked cars scattered in the busy area. This occurred on a day when 2,900 kg of explosives, including ammonium nitrate, were found in Faridabad. Sources said that the suspected suicide bomber, identified as Umar Mohammad, may have panicked and triggered the blast after investigators arrested two key members of the module - Dr Muzammil Shakeel and Dr Adil Rather - and seized the explosives.
An initial assessment of the blast site also indicated the suspects may have panicked and made a mistake while carrying the explosives, top intelligence sources told NDTV. The suspect appeared to have assembled the improvised explosive device (IED) improperly, due to which the IED had a limited impact, they said.
More evidence pointed towards an accidental explosion as there was no blast crater formation and the absence of projectiles at the site. Investigators believe the suspects, in a panic, could not arm the IED for maximum damage.
The sources, however, have not ruled out the possibility that the explosion happened when the suspects tried to relocate or get rid of the explosives.
The investigating agencies are also probing any foreign connections with the module as the handler was operating from abroad, sources said.
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