NEW DELHI: Acting on an alert from the Delhi Police, Faridabad cops on Wednesday seized a red Ford EcoSport in Khandawali village. It is suspected to be linked to Monday’s explosion near the Red Fort area.
A forensic science laboratory (FSL) team and a bomb disposal squad were deployed to the spot to inspect the vehicle.
“The police rounded up a red EcoSport vehicle, registration number DL 10 CK 0458, suspected to be involved in the blast case. It was found parked near Khandawali village,” said a Faridabad police official.
Authorities are examining whether any explosives were present in the car and investigating how the vehicle reached the village. Police suspect that the car is connected to Dr Umar Nabi, an assistant professor at Al-Falah University, who has emerged as a prime suspect in the case.
In a parallel development, Delhi Police detained a Faridabad-based car dealer for questioning. Preliminary findings suggest that the dealer facilitated the sale of a Hyundai i20—another car linked to the blast. Investigators are tracing the ownership trail of the i20 to determine how it reached the suspects.
“We are analysing how the vehicle was brought to the dealer and subsequently sold,” said a senior investigating officer.
So far, around a dozen suspects have been detained and are being questioned by multiple agencies. Security has been tightened across the national capital, with all vital installations placed on high alert. FSL experts have collected 40 samples from the explosion site to identify the materials used. Investigators are also analysing mobile dump data from the vicinity of the Red Fort during the three-hour window when the i20 was reportedly present.
CCTV footage suggests that the driver of the car, suspected to be Dr Nabi, visited a mosque near Ramleela Maidan before parking the vehicle at the Sunehri Masjid parking lot around 3:19 pm on Monday. Police are probing whether he was in contact with his handlers during this time.
