Army-Grade 9mm Ammunition Found at Red Fort Car Blast Site: Key References and Investigation Details

Delhi Police have recovered three 9mm cartridges from the site of the deadly car explosion near the Red Fort earlier this month, sources told India Today TV. The November 10 blast killed 13 people, left several injured, and caused large-scale damage near the Red Fort Metro Station area.

According to officials involved in the Investigation, two of the cartridges recovered were live rounds, while the third was an empty shell casing. The discovery is significant because 9mm ammunition is commonly used by police and military forces, raising questions about how the rounds ended up at the blast site.

Authorities confirmed that this ammunition batch had been issued to police personnel deployed at the scene. However, after verification, officers reported no missing rounds from their assigned ammunition, effectively ruling out the possibility that the cartridges belonged to personnel on duty.

In another major development, investigators have accessed 43 CCTV videos that trace the complete movement of the hyundai i20 car driven by the prime suspect, Dr. Umar Nabi, on November 10. These visuals capture Umar’s journey from a university campus in Faridabad to Old Delhi just hours before the explosion.

Officials officially linked Umar to the attack after DNA samples collected from the explosion site matched his mother’s DNA. These previously unseen CCTV images shed new light on Umar’s route and behavior on the day of the blast.

Police sources revealed that the investigative team analyzed footage from more than 5,000 CCTV cameras across Delhi-NCR, including highways, intersections, and key checkpoints, to reconstruct the suspect’s movements.

Forensic teams have indicated that the high-intensity blast was likely caused by high-grade explosive material. One sample retrieved from the site tested stronger than ammonium nitrate, suggesting the use of enhanced or mixed explosives. The Forensic science Laboratory (FSL) team collected over 40 pieces of evidence, including cartridges, live rounds, explosive residues, and metal fragments.

According to forensic analysis, the vehicle may have been packed with 30–40 kg of ammonium nitrate or a similar high-impact explosive mixture-consistent with the massive force of the explosion felt across the vicinity.