New Delhi, Nov 12: CCTV footage has surfaced showing the exact moment a powerful bomb exploded near Delhi’s Red Fort on Monday evening, killing nine people and injuring several others. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has now taken over the probe into what officials suspect to be a terror attack involving high-grade explosives.
The 15-second video clip, obtained from a nearby CCTV camera, shows vehicles moving slowly through congested traffic near the Red Fort metro station at around 6:50 pm. Suddenly, a huge fireball erupts, ripping through the area as a Hyundai i20 car, now confirmed as the source of the explosion, bursts into flames. Several nearby vehicles were gutted in the blast, and panic ensued as people fled the scene.
The footage has become a crucial piece of evidence in the NIA’s investigation, which follows the arrest of eight suspects, including three doctors, just hours before the explosion. Authorities also seized 2,900 kg of explosives during raids in Kashmir, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh, exposing what officials describe as a “white-collar terror module” linked to Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind.
Among those arrested were Dr Muzammil Ganaie and Dr Shaheen Sayeed from Al Falah University in Faridabad, where investigators recovered 360 kg of ammonium nitrate. Another accused, Dr Umar Nabi, believed to have driven the car that exploded near Red Fort, reportedly died in the blast. Sources said Nabi and Ganaie had recced the Red Fort area weeks earlier and were planning to strike on Diwali, but the attack was delayed.
According to investigators, the bomb was made using ANFO (a mixture of ammonium nitrate and fuel oil) and detonated manually, suggesting it was a suicide mission. Forensic teams have also found traces of high-grade explosives stronger than ammonium nitrate at the blast site.
In the aftermath of the explosion, Delhi Police have launched massive checking drives across the city. Security has been tightened at all entry and exit points, with paramilitary forces deployed to prevent further incidents.
