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Red Fort blast: Three doctors, a rented car and an evening of mayhem
Nearly 2,900 kilograms of explosive and inflammable material was recovered from Faridabad’s Dhauj and Fatehpur Taga villages
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Investigators have identified Dr Umar Un Nabi, who is suspected to have transported explosive material to Delhi ahead of the blast in a car near the Red Fort on Monday, as one of the key operatives connected to the recovery of nearly 2,900 kilograms of explosive and inflammable material from Faridabad’s Dhauj and Fatehpur Taga villages. They suspect that Nabi transported the explosive material from his rented room in Faridabad.
Nabi, who is from Pulwama, was in contact with two other doctors from Jammu and Kashmir arrested recently and was probably driving the white Hyundai i20 car when it exploded after slowing down near a red light, these officers said on condition of anonymity. The explosion engulfed nearby vehicles and left 13 people dead and several inured.
Police said Nabi, a doctor at Al-Falah Medical College in Faridabad for the last three years, is believed to have played an active role in planning the operation alongside Adeel Ahmad Rather, a former senior resident at Government Medical College, Anantnag, who was arrested last week.
Faridabad Police were scanning CCTV footage from multiple areas to trace the movements of Nabi and Dr Muzammil Shakil, a fourth-year medical student from Pulwama, to determine whether they travelled together to Delhi to plant the ammonium nitrate.
Authorities said raids in Faridabad were based on inputs provided by Rather during his interrogation. “The network runs deep and is under active investigation. We are verifying how long Dr Nabi had been employed in Faridabad and the extent of his involvement with the others,” said Faridabad assistant police commissioner (crime) Varun Dahiya.
On Tuesday, over 800 police personnel launched a combing and search operation across areas under Dhauj police station limits following the explosive haul. “Our teams are sweeping every lane, house, and field in the region to ensure no material or suspect remains undetected,” Dahiya said.
Investigators said Nabi was in the vehicle used in the Delhi blast incident near Sunehri Masjid, close to the Red Fort, where a high-intensity explosion occurred around 6:52 pm on Monday. CCTV footage showed the car parked for nearly three hours before the blast. Forensic experts confirmed that Ammonium Nitrate Fuel oil was used in the explosion, which took place during rush hour.
Investigators said Umar was closely linked with Shakil, who had rented two accommodations in Dhauj for ₹1,200 and ₹1,400 a month, paying two months’ security deposit each. Both are suspected to have worked together to stockpile explosives and coordinate movements before the crackdown.
The investigation continues amid heightened security in Faridabad and Delhi-NCR, with intelligence agencies tracking possible sleeper cells linked to the module.
