Doomed Hyundai Parked at Sunehri Masjid Lot Near Red Fort for Two Hours Before Deadly Blast

A white Hyundai i20 exploded on Netaji Subhash Marg near Delhi’s Red Fort on Monday evening, shattering the city’s calm and leaving eight people dead, including the car’s three occupants. The cause of the blast remains under investigation, but early findings suggest the vehicle had been parked for nearly two hours at the Sunehri Masjid parking lot before the explosion.

Investigators, relying on CCTV footage from the area, have reconstructed the car’s final movements. The footage shows the i20 arriving from Daryaganj Market around 4 p.m., entering the Sunehri Masjid parking area near the Red Fort. Nearly two hours later, the car exited the lot, took a U-turn near Old Delhi Railway Station, and proceeded along Lower Subhash Marg before exploding moments later.

“The footage shows the car slowing down at a traffic signal on the Chhata Rail Chowk stretch when the explosion occurred,” said a senior officer familiar with the probe.

Complex Ownership Trail

The car, bearing a Haryana registration number (HR26CE7674), has a tangled ownership history. Initially registered in 2014 to a Gurugram resident, Mohd Salman, the vehicle reportedly changed hands several times afterward.

“Salman sold it to a man named Devender, who later sold it to someone in Ambala,” an investigator said. “The registered owner has been detained in Delhi, but the vehicle appears to have been resold two or three times. We’re still identifying the current owner.”

A copy of the car’s registration certificate (RC) confirms its initial ownership details. Ambala Police have launched a parallel inquiry, with Gurugram Police assisting Delhi investigators in tracing the car’s trail.

NIA, IB Join Investigation

Following the blast, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that multiple agencies — including the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Intelligence Bureau (IB), and Delhi Police’s Special Cell — are probing the incident from “all possible angles.”

“A comprehensive probe is underway, taking every lead into account. The findings will be shared with the public,” Shah stated.

Security has been heightened across Delhi, with additional police and CISF personnel deployed at key locations such as government buildings, metro stations, and the Indira Gandhi International Airport.

The explosion site, near Gates 1 and 4 of Lal Qila Metro Station on the Violet Line, prompted authorities to temporarily shut both gates as a precaution.

As forensic teams comb through the wreckage and investigators trace the car’s ownership chain, officials said the next 48 hours would be crucial in determining whether the explosion was accidental or deliberate.