November 13, 2025

New Delhi: Days after a devastating blast near the Red Fort that killed at least ten people and injured several others, investigators have launched a massive search for a third vehicle believed to be connected to the suspects in the case. The car, suspected to be a Maruti Suzuki Brezza, has become the latest focal point of an expanding multi-agency probe spanning Delhi, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh.

Third Car in Focus

According to senior officials quoted by PTI, multiple security and intelligence agencies are working together to trace the missing vehicle. “The missing third car is suspected to have been used by the accused for reconnaissance or escape. Multiple teams are looking for the third car,” a senior police source said.

The Brezza is believed to have been part of a larger operation involving three cars — a white Hyundai i20, a red Ford EcoSport, and the yet-untraced Brezza — all allegedly procured by the terror module now under investigation.

The probe into the car network intensified after forensic evidence and CCTV footage confirmed that the Hyundai i20, which exploded near the Red Fort metro station on Monday evening, was being driven by Dr. Umar Un Nabi, identified as the prime suspect in the blast.

EcoSport Found in Faridabad

Investigators subsequently traced a second car — the red Ford EcoSport — to Faridabad’s Khandawali village, located on the outskirts of the city. The car was found parked at a farmhouse reportedly owned by an acquaintance of Dr. Umar Un Nabi.

Police sources said the EcoSport (registration number DL10CK0458) was registered at the Rajouri Garden Regional Transport Office (RTO) in Delhi and first registered on November 22, 2017. Preliminary checks confirmed that the vehicle belongs to Dr. Nabi, who also owned the Hyundai i20 that exploded in the Red Fort area.

Investigators suspect that the EcoSport may have been used either for reconnaissance operations before the blast or as part of a wider logistical plan by the accused.

“We are verifying if the EcoSport was used to transport materials or people linked to the blast. Its discovery in Faridabad could provide vital clues about the network’s movements,” said an official involved in the probe.

Trail of the i20: From Mewat to Red Fort

Investigators pieced together the final movements of Dr. Umar Un Nabi’s i20 using footage from over 25 CCTV cameras, beginning from Dhauj village in Mewat shortly after midnight on Sunday.

The car was next spotted at Faridabad’s Asian Hospital around 7:25 a.m. on Monday, and then at a Kalkaji petrol pump around 8:20 a.m. before heading towards the DND Flyway.

Between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m., there was a blackout period during which the car disappeared from all surveillance coverage. It reappeared in Connaught Place, Turkman Gate, and Daryaganj later in the afternoon, before entering the Red Fort parking lot at 3:19 p.m., where it remained for nearly three hours. The vehicle left the parking lot at 6:22 p.m., just 30 minutes before it exploded near the Red Fort metro station at 6:52 p.m.

Expanding the Investigation

The discovery of the EcoSport and the search for the Brezza have led authorities to widen the investigation. Police have requested the Delhi Transport Department to share records of all vehicles transferred or re-registered in recent months to identify any suspicious transactions connected to Umar Nabi or his associates.

Officials are also scanning toll plaza data, fuel purchase logs, and mobile tower locations to track the movement of the missing Brezza. Teams from the Delhi Police Special Cell, National Investigation Agency (NIA), and Haryana ATSare jointly coordinating the search.

The Broader Network

The Red Fort blast has exposed what officials are calling a “white-collar terror module”, linking educated professionals — including doctors — to terror outfits Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGH).

Earlier this week, police arrested eight people, including three doctors associated with Al Falah University in Faridabad, in connection with the wider terror conspiracy. Nearly 2,900 kilograms of explosive materials were seized from multiple sites across Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh.

One of those arrested, Dr. Shaheen Saeed, a Lucknow-based medical professional, was allegedly in touch with Dr. Umar Nabi and another accused, Dr. Muzammil Ganaie, both linked to the Faridabad module.

On Thursday morning, authorities also detained Zamil, identified as the “recruiter” in the module, from Al Falah University. Later that day, another suspect, Faheem, a relative of Umar Nabi who reportedly parked the EcoSport in Faridabad, was handed over to Delhi Police for interrogation.

Multi-State Search Operation

With the Brezza still missing, police have alerted all checkpoints across the Delhi-NCR, Haryana, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh borders. The car is believed to have been used either to survey key targets in the capital or to transport explosives to a secondary location.

“We are leaving no stone unturned,” said a senior investigator. “The recovery of this third vehicle could help us understand whether the group had planned multiple attacks or escape routes.”

Security agencies have also tightened checks on car rental services, second-hand dealerships, and online vehicle trading platforms, suspecting that the accused may have used fraudulent documentation to acquire the cars.

The Road Ahead

Forensic teams continue to analyse materials recovered from the i20 blast site, including residue samples, vehicle fragments, and DNA evidence that confirmed Dr. Umar Un Nabi was inside the car at the time of the explosion.

Investigators believe the explosion was caused by an improvised explosive device (IED) fitted inside the vehicle. They are now examining whether similar devices were installed or prepared for the other two vehicles.

As the investigation expands, the search for the missing Maruti Brezza remains a crucial piece in the puzzle of the Delhi Red Fort blast — a case that has quickly evolved into one of the most complex counterterror operations of recent years.

“Every vehicle, every movement, and every digital footprint is being examined. The discovery of the Brezza could finally reveal the full scope of the conspiracy,” an official said.

With inter-agency coordination now in full swing, authorities hope that the next major breakthrough — the recovery of the third car — could help unravel the operational depth of a terror network that has stunned India’s security establishment.