Death Toll Rises to 12 in Red Fort Car Blast; Delhi Police Probe All Angles

By A Staff Reporter

New Delhi: A powerful explosion rocked central Delhi on Monday evening when a slow-moving car exploded near the Red Fort Metro Station, leaving at least 12 people dead and 20 others injured. The blast occurred around 6:50 p.m. at a busy traffic signal, setting several nearby vehicles ablaze and sending shockwaves across the area.

According to officials, the injured were immediately rushed to Lok Nayak Jai Prakash (LNJP) Hospital for treatment. Among the injured are two women, police confirmed. Preliminary findings suggest that three people were inside the Hyundai i20 car when it exploded. Investigators are exploring all possibilities, including whether the blast was the result of a suicide bombing.

“The blast occurred in a moving Hyundai i20 car in which three people were sitting. We have not found any pellets or puncture marks on the injured, which is unusual in such cases,” said a senior police officer.

Eyewitnesses described the explosion as “deafening,” with the sound reportedly heard as far as ITO, nearly two kilometres away. The impact shattered glass panes of nearby vehicles and damaged parts of the Red Fort Metro Station’s facade.

Delhi Police have detained the car’s registered owner, Mohd. Salman, for questioning. Salman told investigators he had sold the vehicle about a year and a half ago to a man named Devendra in Okhla. Authorities are now tracing the vehicle’s chain of possession and examining CCTV footage from the area to identify the occupants of the car and determine the cause of the blast.

Police and forensic teams remain at the site, cordoning off the area as bomb squad units continue to sweep the vicinity for additional explosives. Security has been heightened across Delhi, particularly around high-profile government and tourist sites.