Umar un-Nabi: Man in i20 who escaped raids that nabbed friends

Police suspect Umar was attempting to relocate or destroy evidence after the crackdown on the module’s storage network

Dr Umar un-Nabi, a 35-year-old physician from Pulwama, is believed to have been at the wheel of the Hyundai i20 car that exploded near Delhi’s Red Fort on the night of November 10, killing at least 10 people and injuring several others. Investigators privy with the case details said that Umar appears to have “panicked” after raids in Faridabad unearthed nearly 3,000 kg of ammonium nitrate from properties linked to his associates, and drove into Delhi with a detonator and explosive material in the car.

Dr Umar un-Nabi (HT PHOTO)

Police suspect Umar was attempting to relocate or destroy evidence after the crackdown on the module’s storage network. Though officials have identified him as the driver, DNA testing is underway to confirm the charred remains found inside the mangled vehicle.

His mother and two brothers were detained from their home in Koil village, Pulwama, for questioning and to provide DNA samples.

Umar had been absconding for nearly 10 days before the explosion, according to investigators. A graduate of Government Medical College (GMC), Srinagar, in 2017, he obtained his medical registration a year later and worked across hospitals in Srinagar, Anantnag, and Faridabad. Investigators said he had been living for the past three years near Al-Falah Medical College and Hospital in Faridabad, where he worked as an assistant professor.

Unmarried and described by family as quiet and studious, Umar lived alone in a modest rented room and was preparing to marry soon, according to relatives.

He had close ties with two other doctors – Adeel Rather and Muzammil Ganaia, both from Kashmir, who have since been arrested in connection with the module. Police say the three doctors, along with a small circle of associates, operated a terror logistics network stretching from Pulwama to NCR, linked to Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM).

“In Anantnag, Umar worked as a senior resident at GMC, where he met Dr Adeel. Later, in Faridabad, he and Dr Muzammil worked at Al-Falah University,” said a Delhi Police Special Cell officer.

Another officer said that CCTV footage from Faridabad’s Sector 37, captured on October 29, shows Umar driving the same i20 with two known associates, both now under investigation. Police believe Umar and Muzammil may have planned the blast together. “We have information that he and Muzammil had known each other for years and were planning this at the university,” said the officer cited above.

After raids on November 9 uncovered 2,900kg of ammonium nitrate, detonators, timers, and rifles from the Faridabad hideouts, Umar reportedly went into hiding in Dhauj village, about 15 km away, avoiding all digital communication.

Investigators said that he used five mobile numbers, all switched off after October 30, and stopped attending university or medical duties. “He was under pressure and knew the circle was closing in,” said another senior officer. “When the ammonium nitrate seizures became public, he fled toward Delhi with ammonium nitrate fuel oil and a detonator.”

On November 10, the i20 was seen near Red Fort Metro Station before a powerful explosion ripped through the area, damaging nearby vehicles. Investigators recovered traces of ammonium nitrate fuel oil consistent with the chemical compound stored by the module.

Police believe at least 10 people were part of the module, five or six of them doctors. The group allegedly used their academic credentials and access to chemicals for assembling explosive devices.

Back in Pulwama, Umar’s family insists they were unaware of his activities. His sister-in-law, Muzamila, said the family last spoke to him just two days before the blast. “We spoke to Umar on Friday. He said he would come home soon,” she said. “He was so attached to my children, always playing cricket with them. He wasn’t a social person. He only studied and worked.”

Family members said they had urged Umar to come home, worried about “some tensions” he mentioned vaguely.

“We thought it was stress from work or exams,” said his sister-in-law, adding that Umar had not visited Pulwama for two months.

“They don’t know what he was doing. He had only told them that he was stressed due to exams (of students) and his work” said the third officer of the Special Cell.

The Delhi Police’s Special Cell has registered an FIR under sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the Explosives Act, and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita relating to murder and attempt to murder. Forensic teams are examining residues from the blast site to match with samples from the Faridabad caches, while agencies trace the financing and communication trail that bound this cluster of educated young doctors into what officials are calling one of the most unusual terror modules uncovered in recent years.