File photo (PTI image)
NEW DELHI: The Municipal Corporation of Faridabad (MCF) on Thursday sealed two chemical shops for allegedly supplying explosive materials to the accused in the deadly Delhi car bomb blast near the Red Fort that killed 12 people last month. Officials said the action was taken following a request from a committee formed by Sub-Divisional Magistrate Trilok Chand at the instance of the National Investigation Agency (NIA).The sealed establishments BR Scientific and Chemicals and Paul Chemicals, located at NIT Nehru Ground in Faridabad, were found to have violated licensing norms. “The action was taken after receiving the letter from the SDM,” MCF Joint Commissioner Jitendra Joshi said. The committee, after verifying records, found that the shops had stocked chemicals beyond the permitted quantity, misused their trade licences and sold chemicals without maintaining buyer records or valid licences, police said.According to investigators, Delhi blast accused Dr Muzammil Ahmad Ganaie and Dr Shaheen Shahid had allegedly purchased chemicals used for making explosives from these shops. After their arrest, NIA teams raided both outlets and examined their sales records. Dr Shaheen was also brought to one of the shops last week for questioning in the presence of the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper told investigators that hundreds of customers visit daily and it was not possible to remember every face. The investigating officer subsequently seized the sales register and sought a detailed probe through the SDM.The sealing of the shops comes in the wider backdrop of the November 10 terror attack, when a Hyundai i20 exploded near the Red Fort, killing 12 people and injuring several others. The blast is being investigated as a terrorist strike under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), with investigators linking it to a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) module allegedly involving radicalised young doctors and cross-border handlers.Delhi Police believe the driver of the car was Dr Umar Un Nabi, a former medical faculty member at Al-Falah University in Faridabad.Forensic teams have recovered 42 samples from the blast site and are examining substances such as PETN, RDX, Semtex and ammonium nitrate fuel oil mixtures to determine the exact nature of the explosive used. Two live cartridges were also recovered from the site.NIA has taken over the investigation and is continuing raids across Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttar Pradesh to dismantle the remaining network. Several associates of the accused have already been arrested, including a Faridabad resident accused of harbouring Umar Un Nabi shortly before the blast. Officials said efforts are ongoing to uncover the entire conspiracy behind the deadly attack.
