Delhi car blast: FIR registered under UAPA and Explosives Act; death toll climbs to 12 in explosion near Red Fort

After a powerful explosion ripped through a car near Delhi’s Red Fort Metro Station on Monday evening, leaving 12 dead and several injured, Delhi Police on Tuesday filed an FIR under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Explosives Act, officials said.

An FIR has been registered at the Kotwali Police Station under the UAPA, the Explosives Act, and sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), according to police officials. The FIR includes Sections 16 and 18 of the UAPA, dealing with punishment and conspiracy for a terror attack.

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Delhi Police are conducting raids at multiple locations. A strict vigil is being maintained at the airport, railway stations, and bus terminals, and the national capital has been placed on high alert.

Forensic teams, along with Delhi Police and other investigating agencies, continue evidence collection at the blast site near Red Fort, where an explosion in a Hyundai i20 car claimed nine lives and left several others injured last evening.

According to ANI, Delhi Police’s initial probe into the high-intensity explosion outside the Red Fort has traced the Hyundai i20 car involved in the blast to Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama, according to police sources.

The car was reportedly purchased by a Pulwama resident, and CCTV footage shows it entering and exiting the Red Fort parking area with the suspect driving alone, as per ANI.

Investigators are now mapping the route towards Daryaganj and examining over 100 CCTV clips from toll plazas and nearby areas to trace the vehicle’s full movement. An extensive night-long search operation was conducted across hotels in Paharganj, Daryaganj, and adjoining areas, during which four individuals were detained for questioning.

The blast, which killed at least 12 people and injured several others on Monday evening, led to a massive review of surveillance footage from the Badarpur border to Kashmere Gate, involving nearly 200 police personnel.

Earlier on Monday, Jammu and Kashmir Police, in a coordinated operation with their Haryana counterpart, foiled a major ‘white collar’ terror module involving the Jaish-e-Mohammed and Ansar Ghazwat-ul Hind post a 15-day operation.

The joint teams of Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana police apprehended eight terror suspects, including three doctors. They seized a massive amount of 2,900 kg of bomb-making material, including around 350 kilograms of explosive agent ammonium nitrate, during their raids in Haryana’s Faridabad and Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag.

Additionally, timers, batteries, a Kalashnikov assault rifle with three magazines and 83 live rounds, a pistol with eight live rounds, and other incriminating material were also recovered during the raids.