A loud noise resembling an explosion in Mahipalpur, located in southwest Delhi, caused alarm among residents this morning. Authorities later determined that the source of the sound was a bus tyre bursting. This incident occurred while the city is on heightened alert following a deadly explosion in the crowded Red Fort area on Monday evening that resulted in 13 fatalities. The tyre burst happened close to the Radisson Hotel. The Delhi Fire Services received a report of the loud noise at 9:19 am, prompting the dispatch of three fire tenders to the location. After thorough checks, neither the fire brigade nor police found any evidence of an explosion.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southwest) Amit Goel stated that they contacted the caller, who reported hearing the loud noise while traveling to Gurugram. Upon investigation, a security guard confirmed that the rear tyre of a DTC bus heading towards Dhaula Kuan had burst, causing the sound. Goel reassured the public that the situation is normal and there is no cause for concern. In a related incident, a white Hyundai i20 exploded near the Red Fort on Monday evening, injuring 20 individuals and damaging several nearby vehicles. The explosion created chaos as bystanders rushed to assist those hurt.
Investigators later connected a second vehicle, a red Ford EcoSport, to an area in Faridabad, while a third vehicle, believed to be a Maruti Brezza, has yet to be located. DNA evidence from the Red Fort explosion has confirmed that Dr. Umar Nabi, a suspected key figure in a terror module, was driving the vehicle that detonated. He is from Koil village in Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir. The blast occurred shortly after police apprehended eight individuals, including three doctors, linked to a terror group associated with Jaish-e-Mohammed and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind.
Following the incident, police seized approximately 3,000 kilograms of ammonium nitrate, potassium chlorate, and sulphur during the investigation of the terror module, which spanned Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh. The area surrounding the historic site has been cordoned off, with police and forensic teams conducting searches for evidence. Additionally, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation announced that the Lal Quila metro station will remain closed until further notice due to security concerns.