Delhi blast: Two suspects visited areas near Red Fort in January

Two doctors, Umar Un Nabi and Muzammil Ahmad Ganaie, linked to a deadly blast near Red Fort, are under investigation for possible terror connections.

Umar Un Nabi and Muzammil Ahmad Ganaie, two doctors who are now the focus of investigations into the rush hour blast near Red Fort that killed at least 10 people on Monday, visited sites near scene of the explosion in January this year, a senior police officer said.

It’s not known what transpired during the visits. (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo)

Umar Un Nabi is suspected to have been been driving the car that exploded. Muzammil Ahmad Ganaie was arrested recently during raids by Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir police in Faridabad as part of a crackdown on an alleged “white collar” terror network.

The officer said that the two had known each other for many years and were working together at the Al- Falah University in Faridabad. Umar was working there as an assistant professor. The two hail from the same village, Koil, in Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir. The families of the two doctors live less than a kilometre apart in the village with some 800-1000 families, most of whom depend on agriculture and horticulture.

“The examination of the phone numbers the two were using showed that they were visiting areas in Chandni Chowk and Jama Masjid --especially close to the Red Fort where the explosion took place--in January this year. However, it’s not yet known what transpired during the visits. We are in touch with Jammu and Kashmir Police to ascertain more details,” said the officer.

Investigators said that they are examining whether the explosion was premeditated. However, so far, teams investigating the case suspect that the it was not a “typical suicide attack” and was triggered by panic. The explosive was not fully developed and the planning - if at all - was at a premature stage, the officer said.

“While there is a reason to believe that Umar intended to go ahead with the explosion but the way it has happened leads police to believe that it went off at the wrong time and probably at the wrong place,” the officer said.

With inputs from Ashiq Hussain

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