Team of 500 officials formed to investigate Delhi blast

New Delhi, Nov 11 (IANS) A team of more than 500 security officials has been formed to investigate the blast near Delhi's Red Fort Metro Station and has been assigned different tasks to carry out the probe, said sources on Tuesday.

The team will consist of officers and soldiers from the various security agencies, including the Intelligence Bureau (IB), NIA, NSG, Special Cell, and local police.

Officers from the level of constable to Inspector, ACP, DCP, Additional CP, Joint CP, and Special CP have been included in the team, the sources said.

All of them are investigating the blast by forming various teams, each assigned different tasks.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has also held a high-level security review meeting at his residence regarding the investigation into the matter.

The meeting was attended by the Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, IB Director Tapan Kumar Deka, Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golcha and National Investigation Agency (NIA) Director General (DG) Sadanand Vasant Date, while the Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police (DGP) Nalin Prabhat joined virtually.

On Monday night, HM Shah visited the spot of the explosion near the Red Fort and personally met the injured at Lok Nayak Jaiprakash Hospital, pledging an exhaustive investigation into the blast that killed eight and wounded over a dozen.

Arriving at the blast site near Gate No. 1 of Lal Qila Metro Station around 9.45 p.m., HM Shah inspected the wreckage of the car, now a twisted metal shell surrounded by forensic markers.

He interacted with Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golcha and NIA officials on the ground before proceeding to LNJP Hospital, where he spent nearly 30 minutes with victims, including a 12-year-old boy with burn injuries and a taxi driver whose vehicle was engulfed in flames.

Notably, the J&K Police earlier in the morning busted an inter-state transnational terror module linked to Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind terror outfits that led to the recovery of 2,900 kg of explosive, two assault rifles, pistols, timers, and other material in the Faridabad area of Haryana, near New Delhi, police said, adding that seven people have been arrested so far.

Security has been ramped up across Delhi-NCR, with NSG commandos deployed at key installations.

HM Shah directed the NIA, IB, and Delhi Police Special Cell to work in tandem, vowing, "No stone will be left unturned".

High alerts have been issued in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Mumbai, with security around crowded public places and religious sites enhanced.

--IANS

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