Red EcoSport, owned by Red Fort blast suspect, found in Faridabad

An alert was issued after it turned out that Dr Umar Un Nabi, who likely drove the i20 that exploded in front of Red Fort, also owned a red Ford EcoSport

Updated on: Nov 12, 2025, 19:13:32 IST

By Leena Dhankhar, Jignasa Sinha

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FARIDABAD/NEW DELHI: A red Ford EcoSport car owned by Dr Umar Un Nabi, who is suspected of being the driver of the Hyundai i20 that exploded near the Red Fort on Monday, has been found in Faridabad, police said on Wednesday.

The red Ecosport, registered at the Rajouri Garden RTO in Delhi, was found parked outside a house in the village

The red EcoSport, registered at the Rajouri Garden RTO in Delhi, was found parked outside a farmhouse belonging to an acquaintance of the prime suspect near Khandawali village on the outskirts of Faridabad.

“In connection with the Delhi blast case, a red Ford EcoSport bearing registration number DL10 CK 0458 was found parked near Khandawali village at a house owned by an acquaintance of Dr Umar. The vehicle has been seized and handed over to the investigating agency for forensic examination,” Yashpal Singh, spokesperson for Faridabad Police, said in a statement.

The Faridabad Police said the vehicle has been handed over to the investigating agency.

The acquaintance owner is expected to be questioned by investigators to ascertain the circumstances under which the vehicle came to be parked in the farmhouse and who had access to it.

Officials said the vehicle was traced following specific leads shared by the Jammu and Kashmir Police, whose ongoing investigation into the busted terror module pointed to the vehicle’s presence in Faridabad.

Acting on this intelligence, a joint team conducted a raid near Khandawali village, leading to the car’s recovery from the house linked to Dr Nabi’s acquaintance.

Delhi Police had earlier sounded an alert to all checkpoints, police posts, and stations across the National Capital Region (NCR), warning that the vehicle might have been used for reconnaissance activities.

Umar ur Nabi became the focus of the investigation after investigations into the ownership of the i20 (HR26CE7674 ) that was seen on CCTV slowing down at a red light and exploding into a huge fireball on Monday evening. Police said he had escaped a series of raids in Faridabad that had led to the arrest of his associates, several of them doctors and members of an alleged Jaish-e-Mohammed module, and the seizure of nearly 3,000 kg of explosive material.

“It was a long trail before we reached him (Umar). The car 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. We were searching for him and then found that he was inside the i20 at the time of the attack, “ a Delhi Police Special Cell officer had told HT.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Leena Dhankhar
Leena Dhankhar is Senior Editor and Bureau Chief, Gurugram, at Hindustan Times, where she has spent over 17 years chronicling the transformation of one of India's fastest-growing urban regions. From starting her career as a crime reporter to leading the Gurugram bureau, her journalism has been defined by investigative reporting, in-depth storytelling and an unwavering focus on public interest. Over nearly two decades, she has reported extensively across crime, politics, civic governance, elections, real estate, environment, courts, sports, education and entertainment, covering Gurugram, Faridabad, Nuh and Palwal. Her reporting has exposed several major scams and systemic failures, including insurance frauds, waste management irregularities, illegal arms manufacturing units in Nuh, illegal mining in the Aravallis, organised crime networks and governance lapses affecting millions of residents. Known for her investigative work and exclusive stories, Leena has reported on high-impact national issues, including the Nicaragua charter flight carrying Indian migrants that was turned back amid allegations of human trafficking, exposing the growing network of illegal immigration rackets. Her work has also focused on gang wars, prison administration, juvenile crime, women and child protection systems, the functioning of the Juvenile Justice Board and Child Welfare Committee, and environmental challenges such as pollution, waterlogging and deteriorating civic infrastructure. Beyond hard news, Leena has extensively documented Haryana's rich heritage, forests and wildlife, bringing attention to the state's historical landmarks, biodiversity, conservation efforts and ecological challenges through immersive reportage and feature writing. Her journalism has consistently gone beyond breaking news. She has documented Gurugram's rapid urbanisation through long-form narratives and enterprise reporting on issues ranging from pothole-ridden roads, flooding and waste management to the changing social fabric of India's Millennium City. She also writes widely read feature columns, including The Outsider, Changemaker, and Concern for Gurugram, profiling people, places and ideas shaping the city's identity. Leena is the author of Gurugram School Murder, published by Juggernaut Books, a deeply reported account of one of India's most high-profile school murder investigations. She is currently working on her second book, an investigative work exploring some of India's most significant scams and fraud investigations. Beyond print journalism, she has expanded her storytelling through public speaking and digital media. She is a TEDx speaker and has produced podcasts exploring Gurugram's transformation, civic challenges and untold stories. Her work reflects a commitment to narrative journalism that combines rigorous reporting with compelling storytelling. A law graduate with an MBA in Human Resources, Leena brings a multidisciplinary perspective to her reporting, particularly on governance, public policy and legal affairs. She has travelled extensively across India to pursue investigative assignments, often reporting from remote locations and conflict-prone areas in search of stories that matter.Read More
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jignasa Sinha
Jignasa Sinha is a Special Correspondent at Hindustan Times in New Delhi. With more than six years of reporting experience, she covers crime and policing in the national capital. Her beats also include Delhi prisons, the Delhi Fire Services and Delhi courts, while she regularly reports on gender, labour and social justice. Over the course of her career, Jignasa has reported on major criminal investigations, international crime syndicates, high-profile cyber fraud cases, law-and-order developments, protests, disasters and public institutions. Her reporting combines breaking news with in-depth, long form, human interest stories that examine the human impact of public policy, policing and the criminal justice system. In addition to reporting for the newspaper, she contributes to the Hindustan Times website and app, and plays an active role in coordinating on-ground coverage of major developments and breaking news across Delhi. Before joining Hindustan Times, Jignasa worked at The Indian Express newspaper in New Delhi, where she spent five years covering crime, Delhi airport, courts and health. She began her journalism career as an intern at an AI magazine in Bengaluru while pursuing her postgraduate diploma in multimedia journalism at the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media.Read More

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