Red Fort blast: Explosives traced to Nuh village; probe links purchases to Faridabad module
The findings, officials said, reveal a complex chain of fertilizer and ammonium nitrate purchases allegedly orchestrated by Dr Umar Un Nabi and his associates.
NEW DELHI/FARIDABAD: Investigators tracking the origins of the explosives used in Monday’s deadly blast near Delhi’s Red Fort have traced the procurement network to Basai Meo village in Haryana’s Nuh district and adjoining areas of Faridabad, Gurugram, and Saharanpur. The findings, officials said, reveal a complex chain of fertilizer and ammonium nitrate purchases allegedly orchestrated by Dr Umar Un Nabi and his associates from the Faridabad module over the past several months.
Investigators said the ammonium nitrate used in the blast was purchased from fertilizer dealers and mining suppliers in Basai Meo, Tauru, and Ferozepur Jhirka. (HT photo)
{{^htLoading}} {{/htLoading}}
People familiar with the investigation said Umar and another suspect had posed as farmhouse owners while approaching fertilizer shops in Nuh, where they began purchasing NPK fertilizers in small quantities over the last three-four months. Senior officers said the module collectively raised ₹20 lakh to buy more than 26 quintals of NPK fertilizer and over 1,000kg of ammonium nitrate – materials powerful enough to make multiple bombs.
A senior Delhi Police officer said that the network was “actively discussing ways to procure ammonium nitrate and NPK in bulk quantities.” “They spent over ₹20 lakh, with each member contributing. The group also bought rifles and cartridges from Srinagar with help from their handlers, including one codenamed ‘Ukasha’,” the officer said.
Investigators have identified at least three fertilizer dealers in Faridabad who allegedly supplied materials to the suspects. One of them, a resident of Pinangwan, told police that the men introduced themselves as landowners looking to buy fertilizer for their farms. Payments were made digitally, which police now consider a crucial trail in the case.
Based on interrogation and location data, officials said Nuh was the primary source of the explosive materials. Among the accused, Dr Muzammil Shakeel Ganaie – one of the Al-Falah doctors arrested last week – allegedly visited the fertilizer shops multiple times and later brought Umar to the same sellers. “They didn’t buy everything at once. They collected it gradually over three or four months,” an investigator said.
{{/usCountry}}
{{#usCountry}}
Based on interrogation and location data, officials said Nuh was the primary source of the explosive materials. Among the accused, Dr Muzammil Shakeel Ganaie – one of the Al-Falah doctors arrested last week – allegedly visited the fertilizer shops multiple times and later brought Umar to the same sellers. “They didn’t buy everything at once. They collected it gradually over three or four months,” an investigator said.
{{/usCountry}}
The multi-agency probe – involving the Delhi Police Special Cell, Haryana Police, and the NIA – has revealed that Dr Umar and Dr Muzammil, both formerly associated with Al-Falah University, relied on local contacts in rural Faridabad to locate sellers and transport the chemicals.
Meanwhile, forensic teams from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) are visiting multiple sites to search for traces of explosives in vehicles and houses linked to the accused doctors. Police said the cars belonging to several suspects and their colleagues are being checked to confirm whether they were used to ferry explosives across state borders. “We are also examining possible disposal sites for chemical residue after the Red Fort explosion,” an officer added.
Nuh’s mining belt under scanner
The probe widened further this week after NIA and Delhi Police teams traced the ammonium nitrate supply chain to Nuh’s mining belt – a region notorious for illegal quarrying and the routine use of blasting chemicals. Investigators said the ammonium nitrate used in the blast was purchased from fertilizer dealers and mining suppliers in Basai Meo, Tauru, and Ferozepur Jhirka, where the chemical is commonly used to blast through rocky hills.
{{^htLoading}} {{/htLoading}}
Police have detained Dinesh Kumar alias Dabbu Singla, a fertilizer dealer from Pinangwan, who allegedly sold around 300 kilograms of ammonium nitrate to the module.
Investigators have identified at least three fertilizer dealers in Sohna and one in Nuh who allegedly supplied materials to the suspects.
A joint team of Faridabad and Nuh police conducted extensive searches in and around mining sites on Wednesday and Thursday, questioning more than 50 people, including mine operators, transporters, and chemical dealers.
During questioning, locals reportedly confirmed that Dr Umar had visited the area multiple times in recent weeks. He allegedly claimed he wanted to start a mining business in Kashmir and was inquiring about the process of procuring and handling blasting chemicals. “He introduced himself as a doctor exploring investment opportunities,” said one local trader questioned by the police.
{{^htLoading}} {{/htLoading}}
Officials now believe these visits were part of a cover to survey suppliers and learn how to acquire large quantities of explosive material without triggering suspicion. Searches in Ferozepur Jhirka also led to the recovery of several ammonium nitrate stockpiles from sheds used for illegal quarrying. Forensic teams have collected samples to match with residue found in the Hyundai i20 and red EcoSport recovered earlier this week.
Prawesh Lama, an Associate Editor at Hindustan Times with nearly two decades of frontline reporting experience across India’s conflict zones, border regions, and disaster-hit areas. He writes on internal security, insurgency, the Northeast, and Left-wing extremism and has reported from India’s hinterland and some of the most sensitive and strategically critical regions.
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.
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.
Get the latest India News, breaking headlines and real-time updates from across the country. Stay informed about politics, government policies, crime, weather major national developments and Karnataka Bandh LIVE.
Get the latest India News, breaking headlines and real-time updates from across the country. Stay informed about politics, government policies, crime, weather major national developments and Karnataka Bandh LIVE.
Home/India News/Red Fort blast: Explosives traced to Nuh village; probe links purchases to Faridabad module
{{^htLoading}}
Advertisement
{{/htLoading}}
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
{{#usCountry}}{{/usCountry}}
Notifications
Get breaking alerts directly from the newsroom
Notifications are on!You'll be notified when news breaks
