Red Fort blast: Delhi Police hunt for red Ford EcoSport linked to terror module

Two days after the Red Fort blast killed eight people, Delhi Police are searching for a red Ford EcoSport linked to the suspects. PM Modi visited the injured at LNJP Hospital, while the NIA has formed a 10-member team to probe the case

New Delhi: Two days after a blast in a Hyundai i20 car in Delhi’s Red Fort led to the death of at least eight people and injured dozens, Delhi Police sources on Wednesday said that they are now searching for another suspected car- a Ford Eco Sport, red in colour, which is believed to be a part of that terror module.

According to Police sources, they’ve issued an alert, and five Delhi Police teams are searching for the red Eco Sport. People familiar with the matter said the investigation reveals that the suspects had another red car in addition to the i20. All Police Stations, Police posts, and border checkpoints in Delhi have been alerted to search for this car.

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Similarly, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana Police have also been sent an alert regarding the red car.

Notably, PM Narendra Modi, on his arrival from Bhutan on Wednesday, headed straight to the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital, where he met the injured from the Red Fort blast admitted there.

PM Modi arrived in the national capital in the afternoon following his two-day visit to Bhutan. At the hospital, he met and interacted with the injured and wished them a speedy recovery. PM Modi was also briefed by officials and doctors at the hospital.

Earlier in the day, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had formed a special team of 10 officers to investigate the blast near Delhi’s Red Fort Metro Station.

The 10-member special team will be led by NIA ADG Vijay Sakhare and will include an IG, two DIGs, three SPs, and the rest DSP-level officers, sources said on Wednesday.

This comes a day after the Home Ministry on Tuesday handed over the Delhi blast investigation to the NIA. The blast occurred on the evening of November 10 when a Haryana-registered car parked near Gate No.1 of the Red Fort Metro Station exploded, killing at least eight people and injuring dozens.

More than 1,000 CCTV footage clips are being scanned by investigative agencies, which suspect that the car explosion could have been a suicide attack aimed at causing maximum damage, Delhi Police sources said.

Investigative agencies are also monitoring social media activity and collecting mobile phone dump data from several locations across Delhi. High alerts have been issued in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Mumbai, with security around crowded public places and religious sites enhanced.