Red Fort blast: Cops seal area around car linked to terror module in Faridabad; man held

Police cordoned off a Faridabad area after seizing a red Ford EcoSport linked to suspects in the Delhi blast that killed 13. Registered to Dr Umar Nabi, the car was allegedly used for reconnaissance by the busted “white-collar terror module.”

Chandigarh: Police has cordoned off areas within a 200-metre radius of the red Ford EcoSport car allegedly linked to suspects behind the deadly blast in Delhi, a day after it was seized from Haryana’s Faridabad district, police sources said on Thursday.

A bomb disposal squad has arrived for inspection after the vehicle was seized from Khandawali village in Faridabad on Wednesday evening, they said.

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Faridabad Police has also rounded up a person who allegedly parked the car in the village and handed him over to Delhi Police, officials said.

Earlier, Delhi Police had sounded an alert across all police stations, police outposts, and border checkpoints to trace the red Ford EcoSport.

The alert was issued after investigation revealed that the suspects had procured three cars — a white Hyundai i20, a red EcoSport and a Maruti Suzuki Brezza — to carry vehicle-borne IEDs.

Police and multiple security agencies are now on the lookout for the third car.

Sources said the Ford EcoSport is registered in the name of Dr Umar Nabi, who was allegedly driving the exploded Hyundai i20.

They said Umar used the EcoSport for reconnaissance activities.

On Monday, authorities busted a “white collar terror module” with links to terrorist outfits Jaish-e-Mohammed and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind and spanned across Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. They seized 2,900 kilograms of explosive substances and arrested eight people, including three doctors linked to Al Falah University in Faridabad.

Hours later, a high-intensity blast ripped through a slow-moving car in the heavily crowded Red Ford metro station area, killing 13 people and injuring several others. A DNA test on Thursday confirmed that Dr Umar was behind the wheels of the exploded car.

Police teams on Wednesday visited the Al-Falah University and the residence of Dr Muzammil Ganaie, one of the prime suspects arrested in the case. They questioned several doctors and students in the university.