A white Hyundai i20 that exploded on Netaji Subhash Marg, killing 13 people and injuring several others, has become the focus of one of Delhi’s most complex and high-stakes investigations in recent years. What initially appeared to be an isolated vehicular blast near the Red Fort during the Monday evening rush hour has now evolved into a multi-agency probe involving forensic experts, counter-terror units, and intelligence agencies. Central to the developing picture is a critical two-hour window during which the doomed vehicle was parked at the Sunehri Masjid parking lot—an interval investigators believe holds significant clues in decoding what exactly transpired before the explosion.

A Routine Evening Turns Catastrophic

The blast occurred around 6:52 pm on Netaji Subhash Marg, a busy arterial stretch that connects the Chandni Chowk–Daryaganj corridor with the Red Fort precinct. The explosion tore through the Hyundai i20, engulfing nearby vehicles and sending debris across the traffic intersection. Pedestrians, commuters, and vendors in the vicinity reported a deafening sound, a wave of heat, and a cloud of smoke rising against the silhouette of the historic monument.

Thirteen people, including all three occupants of the Hyundai i20, were killed instantly. Several others suffered injuries as vehicles around the blast site were shattered by the force of the explosion. As panic rippled across Old Delhi, police, fire services, and emergency responders sealed off the area and began piecing together the vehicle’s movements.

CCTV Footage Traces the Final Route

Multiple CCTV cameras across Old Delhi played a decisive role in helping investigators reconstruct the timeline. According to officers familiar with the probe, the first relevant CCTV capture shows the Hyundai i20 heading from Daryaganj Market towards the Sunehri Masjid parking lot around 4:00 pm. The footage reveals three occupants inside the vehicle, though their identities remain to be conclusively confirmed through forensic analysis.

The car then remains inside the Sunehri Masjid parking space for nearly two hours. Around 5:50 pm, the vehicle exits the lot, navigates towards the Old Delhi Railway Station area, takes a U-turn near the junction, and begins driving towards Lower Subhash Marg.

Investigators found the last piece of footage seconds before the explosion, showing the car slowing at a traffic signal on the Chhata Rail Chowk stretch. A senior officer described this moment succinctly: “The footage shows the car slowing down at a signal when the explosion occurred.” The timing of the blast at a red light has raised multiple possibilities—an intentional detonation, a mechanical trigger, accidental activation, or handling of unstable material.

The Ownership Trail: A Complicated Chain of Custody

The Hyundai i20 bore the Haryana registration number HR26CE7674. What initially seemed simple soon turned into a complex chain of transactions involving multiple private buyers.

Records reveal that the vehicle was originally registered in 2014 to a resident of Gurugram, Mohd Salman. However, Salman told police that he had sold the car to a man named Devender. Devender confirmed selling the car further, reportedly to a buyer based in Ambala. Officials stated that this second resale was not formally updated in the registration database, a practice not unusual in informal second-hand vehicle markets.

As one officer put it, “The registered owner has been detained in Delhi, but the car was resold two to three times. We’re still tracing the current owner.” A copy of the registration certificate reviewed by investigators establishes the initial chain but leaves a gap in the final handover, which is now a key investigative focus.

Police in Ambala and Gurugram have launched parallel inquiries to track the individuals who handled or transacted the vehicle in recent months. The objective is to determine when the vehicle came into possession of the three men who died inside it, and whether they had any knowledge of the explosive materials that caused the blast.

Inside the Two-Hour Window

The most vexing question for investigators remains: what happened between 4 pm and 6 pm when the car was parked at the Sunehri Masjid lot?

Several possibilities are under active scrutiny:

• whether the vehicle was loaded with explosives during this period,
• whether the occupants were waiting for a specific target or moment,
• whether the detonation mechanism was being prepared or tested,
• or whether the blast was accidental, triggered by unstable compounds inside the car.

Investigators are analysing CCTV footage from inside and around the parking lot, interviewing attendants and vendors, and reviewing mobile tower data from the area.

Multi-Agency Probe Begins

Union home minister Amit Shah announced shortly after the incident that a “comprehensive probe” was underway, led jointly by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Intelligence Bureau (IB), and Delhi Police’s Special Cell.

“This is being investigated from all angles,” Shah said. “The findings will be shared with the public once the agencies have completed their assessment.”

Multiple forensic teams, including explosives experts, are assessing residue from the vehicle to determine the exact chemical composition involved. Preliminary assessments indicate high-intensity explosive material, though the final report is awaited.

Citywide Security Tightened

Following the blast, Delhi Police raised the security alert level across the national capital. Additional CISF personnel were deployed at airports, metro stations, key government buildings, and major public intersections. Two gates of the Lal Qila Metro Station—Gates 1 and 4—were shut temporarily as a precaution.

Checkpoints were established across Delhi-NCR, especially along routes leading to Old Delhi, Lal Qila, Daryaganj, Chandni Chowk, and the Ring Road corridors. Metro passengers reported increased bag checks and canine squad patrols.

Key Questions That Remain Unanswered

Even as the investigation progresses, several critical questions still remain:

• Who were the three men in the Hyundai i20?
• Was the explosion intentional or accidental?
• What was the purpose of parking at Sunehri Masjid for two hours?
• When and where were the explosives loaded into the vehicle?
• How did the car move through multiple ownerships without proper documentation?
• Was this an isolated incident or part of a wider plot?

A Probe at a Crucial Stage

The tragic explosion near one of India’s most iconic national landmarks has set in motion a high-priority investigation involving multiple agencies, hundreds of personnel, and extensive forensic mapping. The two-hour halt at the Sunehri Masjid parking lot—and the unclear chain of ownership—are the two primary threads investigators are pursuing as they attempt to answer how a routine Monday evening turned into one of Delhi’s deadliest recent incidents.