The car that exploded near Delhi’s Red Fort on Monday evening, killing 13 and injuring 21, has been traced to a Kashmir-based doctor with suspected terror links.
Two officers from Delhi Police’s Special Cell said the probe has revealed that Dr Umar Un Nabi, a resident of Pulwama, was likely behind the wheel of the ill-fated Hyundai i20 when it exploded.
As reported by HT earlier, preliminary investigations suggest Umar was connected to a terror module linked to a massive explosives seizure in Haryana’s Faridabad recently. The module had earlier led to the arrest of two other doctors, also from Jammu and Kashmir.
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How the trail led to Umar
Tracing the car’s ownership became the key that unlocked the Faridabad connection, police said, adding, “It was a long trail before we reached him (Umar).”
“The car (Hyundai i20) was registered in the name of a man named Salman who revealed he sold it to a man named Devender. Devender was picked up and he said he sold it to a man named Taariq. While we were looking for Taariq, we found that the car was last with Umar,” said one of the investigating officers.
The officer added, “While we were looking for Taariq, we found that the car was last with Umar. We were searching for him and then found that he was inside the i20 at the time of the attack. We also found that he works in the same module as his doctor friends - Muzammil Shakil and Adil Ahmed.”
{{/usCountry}}The officer added, “While we were looking for Taariq, we found that the car was last with Umar. We were searching for him and then found that he was inside the i20 at the time of the attack. We also found that he works in the same module as his doctor friends - Muzammil Shakil and Adil Ahmed.”
{{/usCountry}}Shakil was arrested by the J&K Police on October 30, a few days after Dr Adil Ahmad Rather was taken into custody. Following interrogation, he led a joint team of the J&K Police, IB, and Faridabad Police to their alleged hideout, where authorities seized nearly 2,900 kg of ammonium nitrate and other bomb-making materials on Monday.
‘He planned it after his friends’ arrest’
A second officer said that the suspect, Umar, is likely to have executed the explosion “after his friends got arrested.”
“We have confirmation of their link from the Jammu and Kashmir police as well,” the officer said, adding that Umar was most likely the one driving the i20 when it blew up. “Yes, as per our initial probe, Umar was driving the car and is probably dead. We are checking with the doctors at the mortuary.”
Red Fort blast aftermath
Delhi Police have registered an FIR under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), along with sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) related to murder and attempt to murder, and provisions of the Explosives Act.
Investigators are probing whether the blast was triggered by a device being transported in the car that went off accidentally. The intensity and heat of the explosion suggested the use of ammonia gel or a similar high-intensity explosive, they said.
(With inputs from Jignasa Sinha)