New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has constituted a special 10-member investigation team to probe the car blast near Delhi’s Red Fort late on Monday evening. The team will be headed by Additional Director General (ADG) Vijay Sakhare, a senior IPS officer known for his experience in counter-terror operations.

According to NIA sources, the SIT comprises officers of varying seniority, including two Deputy Inspectors General (DIGs), three Superintendents of Police (SPs) and DSP-level officers, ensuring a comprehensive and multi-layered approach to the probe. The team will coordinate with the Delhi Police, forensic experts and intelligence agencies to trace the origin of the explosives and the terror links.

The move comes a day after the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) formally transferred the case to the NIA, citing possible involvement of organised terror networks. The agency has already registered a fresh case and begun a detailed investigation, which includes collecting forensic samples from the blast site, scanning over 1,000 CCTV footage and verifying local leads. Officials are also analysing digital data, and forensic evidence to map the entire chain of events leading up to the 10/11 terror attack in the national capital.

Preliminary reports suggest that the explosion, which occurred in a parked car near the Red Fort, bore hallmarks of a planned attack rather than an accidental detonation. Investigators are now focused on identifying the individuals behind the vehicle and their possible connections to groups operating from outside Delhi.

Officials said the NIA’s newly formed team will work on a “time-bound and exhaustive investigation” to determine the motive and perpetrators behind the blast that has triggered fresh security concerns in the national capital.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah had on Tuesday directed agencies to “hunt down every culprit” and ensure those behind the terror plot are brought to justice.

At least 12 people were killed and 25 others critically injured when a white Hyundai i20 exploded near Lal Quila Metro Station Gate No. 1 on Monday evening. The blast occurred at 6:52 PM. The car was driven by Dr Umar Nabi, who died in the explosion. A DNA test has been conducted to confirm his identity. Preliminary forensic reports indicate that ammonium nitrate, similar to the material seized in the Faridabad raid on Monday, was found at the blast site.

Dr Muzammil Shakil, a senior doctor at Al Falah Medical College in Faridabad, is among the four key conspirators identified by security agencies. The other three are Dr Umar Nabi, Dr Adil Ahmad Rather and Dr Shaheen Shahid. According to sources, investigative officials are now piecing together details shared by Muzammil and other suspects during interrogation to launch a crackdown on the bigger terror network connecting Delhi, Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir. Muzammil is the key figure arrested after the massive counter-terror operation that seized over 360 kg of explosives and an AK-47 rifle in Faridabad.