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Delhi blast: Umar's relative detained for parking red Ford EcoSport car in Faridabad
Investigators said his interrogation will be crucial in establishing whether Nabi handed him the car or if he was unknowingly used to conceal it after the blast
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A relative of Umar Un Nabi, the prime suspect of the blast near Delhi’s Red Fort on Monday, has been detained for allegedly parking the red Ford EcoSport (DL10 CK 0458) that the latter owned in Faridabad’s Khandawali village.
The suspect, Mohammad Faheem who is Nabi’s brother-in-law, is a Khandawali resident. He was traced through surveillance footage and local inputs after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Jammu and Kashmir Police began tracking individuals associated with Nabi.
“Faheem was found to be in possession of the red Ford EcoSport registered under Dr Nabi’s name. The vehicle was located outside a house in Khandawali village and later seized. He has been detained for questioning regarding when and how the car came into his possession,” said an investigator.
Investigators said Faheem had connections in nearby Dhauj, where one of his friends runs a car repair workshop close to Al Falah Medical College, where Nabi worked as a faculty member. They were trying to determine whether the vehicle was repaired or modified at the workshop and if anyone else assisted in concealing it.
“Teams are examining CCTV footage from the area to confirm who was driving the car last and when it was parked there,” the officer said.
Investigators said Faheem’s interrogation will be crucial in establishing whether Nabi handed him the car or if he was unknowingly used to conceal it after the blast. “His statement may provide the missing link in tracking Nabi’s final movements and the vehicle’s use before it was abandoned,” the officer said.
Authorities have also identified a woman who was reportedly with Faheem when the car was abandoned in Khandawali. “We are verifying her identity and role. It is being investigated whether she knew about the car’s connection to Nabi or the ongoing case,” a second police officer said.
The Faridabad Police have tightened security in and around Khandawali and Dhauj villages, where multiple suspects have either lived or worked in proximity to Al Falah Medical College, which is at the centre of the ongoing investigation.
Preliminary inspection of the red Ford EcoSport car showed suspected traces of ammonium nitrate, people aware of the matter said. The car was traced on Wednesday after an intelligence input from the Jammu and Kashmir Police, which has been tracing vehicles that the busted terror module linked to the blast allegedly used.
