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2 phones, 5 SIMs, 65 CCTVs: In Delhi blast probe, key pieces of the puzzle linked to ‘suicide bomber’
All 5 SIMs being used by Dr Umar un Nabi, Red Fort “suicide bomber”, were deactivated on Oct 30, the day his associate was detained in Faridabad terror bust
As the probe into the Red Fort blast continues, investigators are now trying to trace the final moments of the alleged “suicide bomber”, Dr Umar Un Nabi. On Sunday, the NIA referred to the driver of the Hyundai i20 car as a "suicide bomber" for the first time since the probe began.
Meanwhile, investigators are continuing their hunt for the last two mobile phones used by Nabi as part of their attempt to trace his digital footprint. During this probe, it was discovered that a total of five SIM cards have been linked to the alleged bomber.
Tracing Umar's final movements
2 phones, 5 SIM cards:As per officials and reported by HT, Dr Umar used two phones between October 30 and November 10. As of now, both of these phones are missing. While a total of five SIM cards were linked to him, the last two numbers are the key pieces of the case as they trace the final moments of the Pulwama doctor.
Key date: Officials further told HT that all five SIM cards were deactivated on October 30, the day his close associate, Dr Muzammil Shakeel Ganaie, was detained.
65 CCTVs scanned: Investigators from the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Delhi Police Special Cell, and Jammu & Kashmir Police scanned a total of 65 CCTV cameras to trace the final moments of the alleged bomber.
As reported by HT, the strongest clue came from a CCTV camera in Dhauj market, 800m from Al-Falah University, where Nabi worked and lived. The footage, timestamped October 30, shows him sitting inside a medical store with a black bag and two phones.
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In the footage, Umar is seen handing one phone to the shop owner for charging while keeping the other in his hand. As per investigators, the simultaneous use of two phones indicates that one was used for routine communication, and the other was reserved for handlers and operational messaging, reported HT.
A total of 65 CCTVs have been scanned to map Umar's route through Khalilpur and Rewasan toll plazas, into Faridabad, and eventually Delhi.
On the day of the blast, Umar and the i20 car was spotted in Ferozepur Jhirka in Nuh outside an ATM at 1:07 AM.
'Restless and anxious' Nabi
As per the testimony from the guard on duty, Mohar Singh, Nabi claimed there was a medical emergency in his family and convinced the guard to accompany him to another ATM, where he withdrew around ₹76,000 in two instalments.
Before dropping the guard back at the original spot, Singh was tipped ₹1,000.
The guard said he saw items “covered in bedsheet material” in the rear seat, and recalled that Nabi was impatient, anxious, and driving erratically.
A similar testimony came from an eatery staff in Nuh who said that Nabi was ‘restless and anxious' “He used to come alone every night,” said Akram Khan, a server at a small roadside dhaba.
“He would quietly ask what was cooked for the day. He ate fast, barely spoke, and tipped ₹100 before leaving," he further said, adding that Nabi appeared restless, glancing constantly at passing vehicles.
“He was never relaxed. He ate while looking toward the road, as if expecting someone," said Khan.
(With inputs from Karn Pratap Singh and Leena Dhankhar)
