Red Fort blast: Delhi Police invoke UAPA, to examine role of busted Faridabad module

The Delhi Police have registered a case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Explosives Act in connection with the powerful car explosion near the Red Fort, which claimed 13 lives and left over 30 people injured. Investigations suggest that the blast was a possible act of terror, carried out in haste after a key module was dismantled in Faridabad.

Officials confirmed that the First Information Report (FIR) was filed at the Kotwali police station under Sections 16 and 18 of the UAPA, which deal with punishment and conspiracy for a terror act, alongside relevant provisions of the Explosives Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The city has been placed on high alert, with the Delhi Police conducting raids at multiple locations and tightening security at the airport, railway stations, and major bus terminals.

According to investigators, the explosion occurred at approximately 6:52 pm on Monday, when a Hyundai i20 car detonated near Gate No. 1 of the Red Fort Metro Station. The car, packed with high-grade explosives including ammonium nitrate and RDX, triggered a fire that engulfed several nearby vehicles. The blast, which took place during peak traffic hours, appears to have been intended to cause mass casualties and chaos.

Preliminary investigations reveal that the car’s ownership changed hands multiple times — a method frequently used by terror networks to conceal the identity of the perpetrators. The vehicle was first registered in the name of Mohammad Salman, later sold to Nadeem, then to a Faridabad-based car dealer, and finally purchased by one Tariq from Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir.

Tariq, who is currently under police questioning, allegedly handed over the vehicle to Dr Umar Mohammad — a suspected member of the busted Faridabad terror module.

Investigators believe Dr Mohammad may have been inside the car at the time of the explosion. A DNA test is being conducted to confirm his presence. The doctor, said to have been on the run, is reportedly linked to terror financing and arms smuggling operations.

Sources indicate that the car was parked near the Red Fort for nearly three hours before it was moved. Authorities are examining whether the attackers had intended it to explode while stationary, or whether they detonated it prematurely after panicking in the wake of the Faridabad module’s bust.

A senior officer involved in the probe said that all evidence points towards a Fedayeen-style attack. “It appears the strike was executed in haste and may not have unfolded according to the original plan,” the officer noted.

The Faridabad module, recently neutralised by the Jammu and Kashmir Police, is suspected to have played a central role in supplying the explosives and planning the attack. Days before the Red Fort blast, security agencies had arrested one Dr Muzzamil Shakeel, from whom 2,900 kilograms of explosive material were seized.

Investigators believe the module had links with Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad and Ansar Ghazwatul Hind (AGH), an Al-Qaeda affiliate. Officials suspect that the Red Fort explosion may have been carried out hastily after the network was compromised.

Forensic experts are continuing to analyse residue samples collected from the blast site, while counterterrorism agencies are mapping digital trails and communication intercepts to determine whether additional attacks were being plotted before the Faridabad module’s exposure.

Authorities have urged the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity or abandoned vehicles. Senior officials from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Delhi Police’s Special Cell are jointly leading the investigation as Delhi remains on high alert.

With agency inputs