CCTV footage traces movements of suspect car linked to deadly Red Fort blast

Investigators have obtained CCTV footage and images tracing the movement of a white Hyundai i20 believed to be involved in Monday evening’s explosion near Delhi’s Red Fort, which claimed nine lives and left 20 others injured.

According to officials, the vehicle, bearing registration number HR 26CE 7674, was parked in the lot adjacent to the monument for over three hours.

It reportedly entered at 3:19 pm and exited around 6:30 pm, shortly before the blast occurred. A one-minute CCTV clip shows the car crossing the Badarpur border, with police examining its route across the city.

Images under examination show the car entering the Red Fort parking area with the suspected bomber’s hand visible on the window.

Another frame captures the driver in a blue and black T-shirt.

A third capture shows the vehicle travelling on a crowded road in the capital.

Sources said the suspected bomber remained seated in the car the entire time it was parked. “He did not get out even for a second. He was either waiting for someone or awaiting instructions,” one source said.

The blast took place at 6:52 pm near Red Fort Metro Station, leaving several vehicles charred and debris scattered across the busy area. Emergency teams and ambulances rushed to the scene, moving the injured to Lok Nayak Hospital (LNJP).

The explosion is now being probed as a terror-related act, with Delhi Police invoking provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) after forensic evidence and intelligence inputs suggested possible links to organised networks.

A high alert has been declared not only in Delhi but also in key cities and states, including Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Jaipur, Haryana, Punjab, Hyderabad, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Bihar, which is voting in the second and final phase of its assembly elections today.