Delhi Red Fort blast’s death toll rises to 13

The death toll in Delhi’s Red Fort blast on Thursday rose to 13 as a person undergoing treatment at a hospital succumbed to injuries.

The person, who has been identified as Bilal, succumbed to his injuries at Delhi’s Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Hospital.

The information about Bilal’s death was received from the hospital early on Thursday morning, the Delhi Police told PTI.

Officials said the post-mortem examination will be conducted later in the day.

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Several persons injured in the blast still remain in the hospital.

In the first official statement, the Centre on Wednesday dubbed the blast a “heinous terror incident perpetrated by anti-national forces”.

A slow-moving vehicle on Monday stopped at a traffic light near Red Fort Metro Station at around 6:52 pm and exploded . The blast hit vehicles and people in the vicinity. The person driving the vehicle has been identified as Umar Un Nabi.

“A DNA test has confirmed that the man who carried out the blast near Red Fort was Dr Umar Un Nabi. After the blast, his leg was stuck between the steering wheel and accelerator. His DNA sample matched with his mother,” the Delhi Police said in a statement on Thursday.

Umar has been linked to a ‘white collar’ terrorist module busted in a counterterrorism operation stretching from Jammu and Kashmir to Haryana to Uttar Pradesh.

In the white terrorist module’s case, the investigation began last month when Jaish-e-Mohammed’s (JeM) posters appeared in Bunpora, Nowgam, and Srinagar in J&K that threatened and intimidated police and security forces. The investigation led to the arrest of at least seven people, including Muzammil Ahmad Ganaie in Haryana’s Faridabad, and recovery of around 2,900 kilograms of explosives.

It is understood that Umar, who was driving the car when it exploded, had escaped while his associates —including Muzammil— were nabbed at Faridabad.