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Red Fort blast: Suspect used multiple phones, say police
The Delhi Police’s Crime Branch on Saturday said it has lodged two new FIRs against Al-Falah University on charges of cheating and forgery.
The probe into the Red Fort blast case has revealed that the driver of the car that exploded, Dr Umar un-Nabi, was in a mobile phone shop in Faridabad with at least two mobile phones around 11 days before the attack, according to new CCTV footage accessed by the investigating agencies, Delhi Police said.
Investigators said that the Delhi Police’s Special Cell has registered a second FIR—the first FIR was transferred to the National Investigating Agency (NIA)—to probe a “deeper conspiracy” in the case. Also, the Delhi Police’s Crime Branch on Saturday said it has lodged two new FIRs against Al-Falah University on charges of cheating and forgery.
“The cases are related to cheating government and public with false accreditation and claims about their college. They also produced forged documents to cheat the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC). After the institutions flagged it to us post review, we lodged FIRs,” a crime branch officer said.
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On November 10, a Hyundai i20 car driven by Nabi exploded near Red Fort , killing at least 12 people.
Probe, so far
Investigating agencies said Umar was on the run from the police after his associates and fellow doctors, Muzammil Shakeel Ganaie and Adeel Rather, were arrested as part of investigations into an alleged terror module. The arrests also led to the seizure of nearly 3000 kg of explosives.
Police said that Umar was last seen at the Al-Falah University on October 29. The same day, he repaired his phone and acquired an i20 car from Faridabad’s Sector 37.The next day t, he allegedly fled to Nuh before again escaping towards Delhi. Police suspect that while leaving for Nuh, Umar was carrying 30-40kg of explosives, which he used in the car blast.
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“We have found that 30-40kg of ammonium nitrate, NPK and other IED material were used in the stack. He could have been carrying it inside the car from October 29,” a senior officer at the Delhi Police headquarters said.
The latest CCTV footage, from a mobile phone shop in Faridabad, shows Umar sitting on a couch and handing over his phone to the shopkeeper, who first puts it on charge. A second mobile phone is seen on Umar’s lap. He also looks agitated in the video. Police said the video shows him getting his phone repaired.
“This confirms our suspicions that he was using multiple phones to contact Shaeen Shahid, Ganaie, Rather and other associates online, such as Dr Ukasha. We are trying to trace his movements. We know he went from Faridabad to Nuh on October 30 after mobile shop and car shop. He then entered Delhi on the day of attack,” another officer said. Dr Ukasha, officers said, is an online contact, who they are investigating.
Police also said that the forensic investigation of the i20 car used in the blast did not indicate the presence of a phone, suggesting he might have discarded them.
A second CCTV footage, from inside the Lal Quila Metro Station, shows the moment of the blast. In the video, commuters are seen walking around when the installations inside start rattling. Passengers are seen rushing for cover. The impact of the blast was such that the tremors were felt up to a depth of 40-50 feet, police said.
The second FIR
The Delhi Police’s Special Cell said it has lodged another FIR in the case.
The police had initially filed a case under UAPA, Explosive Act and murder charges, but the case was transferred to the NIA. Delhi Police on Friday lodgedanother FIR to look for “deeper conspiracy” in the case. The FIR has been lodged against the JeM module on charges of criminal conspiracy.
Investigators have also started preparing a detailed list of each vehicle that entered the Sunehri Masjid parking area, where Umar had parked his i20 car for three hours on the day of the blast.
“We are tracking down the registration numbers of these vehicles and questioning their drivers and owners if they have noticed the Haryana-registered Hyundai i20 involved in the explosion. several vehicles were parked nearby and we need eye witness accounts. Each driver is being traced as we want to know what he was doing inside the car for three hours. Did he assemble the bomb there ? Nobody knows,” a fourth officer said.
Police said teams are also helping the Faridabad and J&K Police as “more” doctors from Al-Falah University and Kashmir are suspected to be a part of the module.
“We have detained a few students and are looking for others,” the officer cited above said.
