New Delhi: As the investigations revealed that a doctor from South Kashmir’s Pulwama district was driving the explosive-laden car that killed more than 10 persons near Red Fort in Delhi on Monday evening, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) handed over the case to the National Investigation Agency for probe.
According to the details available the case was given to NIA under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the Explosive Substances Act, and sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita related to murder and conspiracy.
An official said that the investigators have traced the car, a white Hyundai i20, to Dr Umar Mohammad, a Pulwama-based medical professional. “Preliminary findings suggest that Dr. Umar drove the vehicle laden with Ammonium Nitrate Fuel Oil (ANFO) and detonators before it exploded near the Red Fort,” he added.
“His remains are believed to be among those recovered from the site. DNA samples from his family were collected in Pulwama to confirm his identity,” the official said.
Pertinently, a few days before the blast, J&K, Haryana and UP Police had recovered a major cache of explosives, nearly 2,900 kg during a raid in Faridabad. Two Kashmiri-origin doctors were detained from Al Falah University in connection with that operation. “Dr Umar was associated with those arrested and may have gone ahead with the attack fearing imminent arrest,” said an official.
Security agencies have detained another doctor, Dr Sajad Ahmad Malla from Pulwama, for questioning. Several others affiliated with Al Falah University have also been taken into custody.
Searches continued in multiple areas of Delhi, Faridabad, and Jammu & Kashmir. Investigators said the group planned a larger series of strikes that were disrupted by the earlier seizures in Haryana.
Forensic teams confirmed the use of high-intensity explosives similar to those found in Faridabad. CCTV footage shows the car entering Delhi from Badarpur and circulating around the Red Fort before the explosion around 6:50 PM. Police suspect a suicide-style operation designed to cause maximum damage.
Meanwhile, The probe into the deadly car blast near the Red Fort was on Tuesday handed over to the anti-terror agency NIA as investigators zeroed in on a doctor from Pulwama in south Kashmir with suspected links to an inter-state “white collar terror module”.
Dr Umar Nabi was driving the i20 car that exploded on Monday evening and is believed to be one of the 12 people killed, officials said. Jammu and Kashmir Police took a DNA sample from his mother to match with the parts found at the scene of the blast, an official said in Srinagar.
As the Delhi police filed an FIR calling the explosion “a bomb blast” and invoked sections relating to conspiracy and punishment for a terror attack under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed that all those responsible will be brought to justice.
“Our agencies will get to the bottom of this conspiracy. The perpetrators behind it will not be spared,” Modi said in an address at a public event in Bhutanese capital Thimphu.
After two security review meetings, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said he has instructed security agencies to hunt down each and every culprit behind the Delhi blast — the first attack in the national capital after 13 years.
“Everyone involved in this act will face the full wrath of our agencies,” Shah wrote on X.
Officials involved in investigations said they did not rule out the possibility of the explosives in the car getting detonated accidentally as Umar may have panicked.
It has emerged during investigations that Umar waited in the Sunehri Masjid parking lot near the Red Fort for nearly three hours while scouring the internet for updates regarding his associates’ arrest in Faridabad. The investigators have also managed to establish an 11-hour trail of Umar’s vehicle.
There was no clarity yet on how many people were in the car during the blast. While initially there were claims that there were three people, another account said only Umar, who was on the run after the busting of the Faridabad terror module, was the lone occupant.
At his review meetings, Shah instructed the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) to match the samples collected from the bodies in the car, sources said.
The powerful explosion not only shattered Delhi’s calm but also tore through homes hundreds of kilometres away, where families are now struggling to come to terms with the sudden loss of their loved ones.
From the quiet lanes of Shravasti and Deoria to the bustling streets of Meerut, Amroha and Shamli, all in Uttar Pradesh, the victims were everyday people — drivers of taxi and e-rickshaw, cosmetic store owners, DTC bus conductors and all working to support their families, their dreams for better lives.
Among the victims was 32-year-old Dinesh Mishra of Ganeshpur village in Shravasti district, who had been working at a printing press in Delhi’s Chawri Bazar to support his wife and three children.
His father, Bhure Mishra, recalled that Dinesh had returned home for Diwali.
“He was a hardworking man. He wanted to give his children a good education. We still can’t believe he is gone,” Bhure said, his voice breaking as neighbours gathered to console the family.
The blast occurred hours after eight people, including three doctors, were arrested and 2,900 kg of explosives seized with the uncovering of a “white collar” terror module involving the Jaish-e-Mohammed(JeM) and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind and spanning Kashmir, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
Among those arrested on Monday were Dr Muzammil Ganaie and Dr Shaheen Sayeed, both connected to the Al Falah university in Faridabad from where 360 kg of ammonium nitrate was recovered.
According to investigators, Shaheen was leading the Jaish-e-Mohammed’s women recruitment wing in India. “She headed the Jamaat-ul-Mominat, the group’s female wing.”
Umar, who hailed from Lethpora in Pulwama district, allegedly carried explosives, possibly ammonium nitrate, in the car, officials said.
Preliminary findings suggest ammonium nitrate, fuel oil and detonators may have been used in the blast that ripped through the slow moving car near a traffic signal.
As investigations into the blast and the terror module continues, officials said a man named Tariq from Pulwama district had given the i20 to Umar and is now under arrest.
Teams from Delhi Police, NIA and intelligence agencies have fanned out across Delhi and Kashmir. Four people have been detained in the raids in Kashmir. Of the four, two have been shifted for joint interrogation for their role in the Delhi blast as well as the interstate terror module.
Raids are also being conducted at multiple locations in Delhi. The national capital has been placed on high alert with strict vigil being maintained at the airport, railway stations and bus terminals.
Police said CCTV footage of the car that exploded shows a “masked man” driving the car. Multiple teams have been deployed to scan CCTV from the vicinity of the Red Fort and adjoining routes, officials added.
There was chaos outside the LNJP Hospital in Delhi as family members huddled at the gates, either heartbroken after identifying bodies of their kin killed in the blast or holding on to hope while waiting anxiously for word about their loved ones.
The mortuary gates of the hospital remained under tight security, with only authorised personnel allowed entry. Some could be seen pleading with hospital staff for information about missing family members, while many broke down in tears as ambulances kept arriving and departing.
A worker at the LNJP Hospital mortuary, who had completed his early morning shift, described the scenes from the night as “gruesome”.
(With Inputs from PTI & KNO)
Delhi blast suspect’s mother undergoes DNA test; father detained for questioning
Police on Tuesday took the mother of the man who was suspected to be driving the car that exploded near the Red Fort for a DNA test in Pulwama district of south Kashmir while his father was detained for questioning, officials said.
“We have taken the mother of the suspect to collect DNA samples in order to match with the parts found at the scene of the blast,” an official said here.
Dr Umar Nabi was allegedly driving the Hyundai i20 car that was used in the blast near the parking area of the Red Fort Metro Station on Monday, killing at least 12 people. He hails from Koil village in Pulwama, they said.
Two brothers of the suspect accompanied their mother, Shameema Begum, to the hospital for the test.
Dr Umar Nabi’s father Ghulam Nabi Bhat was picked up by the police from his residence, hours after his wife was taken for a DNA test, the officials said.
The police have rounded up several doctors who were working with blast suspect Umar Nabi in Faridabad, the officials said.
They said three other persons, who were linked to the sale and purchase of the car involved in the blast, have been detained for questioning.
However, no formal arrests have been made so far.
Umar Nabi’s sister-in-law, Muzamil, said the family cannot believe that he could be involved in terror activities.
She said her brother-in-law was an introvert right from his childhood, did not have many friends and used to focus on his studies and work.
“He was working as a faculty at a college in Faridabad. He called on Friday saying he is busy with examinations and will return home after three days. He was a reserved kind of person right from childhood,” Muzamil said.
She insisted that Umar was not the kind of person to get involved in terror activities.
“We struggled a lot to ensure he gets educated so that he is able to take care of himself and the family. This is unbelievable,” she added.
Umar had last visited Kashmir two months ago, Muzamil said.
Preliminary findings by Delhi Police suggest ammonium nitrate, fuel oil and detonators may have been used in the blast, linking it to the terror module uncovered in Faridabad, where 2,900 kg explosive materials and inflammables was seized. “Final reports are awaited,” the source added.
Police registered an FIR under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Explosives Act under sections which deal with punishment and conspiracy of a terror attack.
The MHA has now handed over the investigation to the NIA. (PTI)
Focus on how accused managed to get huge quantity of Ammonium Nitrate
Security agencies are focusing on how a sophisticated “white-collar terror module” managed to acquire and store a huge quantity of explosives, including Ammonium Nitrate, the substance suspected to have been used in Monday’s deadly blast near the Red Fort area that killed 12 people.
The attack has once again highlighted the ease with which a restricted chemical like Ammonium Nitrate can be weaponised with officials trying to trace the logistics and procurement network of the recently busted inter-state terror cell.
Ammonium Nitrate is a dual-use chemical, widely valued as a popular nitrogen fertiliser and used extensively in the construction sector for controlled blasting in stone quarries.
However, due to its volatile nature when combined with other chemicals including Potassium Chlorate and Sulphur, it became a favourite component for improvised explosive devices (IEDs) used by terror groups. It is also mixed with fuel oil that results in Ammonium Nitrate Fuel Oil Explosive (ANFO), which causes immediate fire.
The chemical was also used alongside RDX in the 2019 Lethpora (Pulwama) attack, which claimed the lives of 40 CRPF personnel. The car bomb attack was carried out by the banned Jaish-e-Mohammed terror outfit.
Earlier, the chemical was used by banned Indian Mujahideen in various attacks in Mumbai and the national capital during 2000-2011.
Concerned over its frequent use by terror groups in making bombs, the government in 2011 declared fertilisers having more than 45 percent of Ammonium Nitrate as an explosive substance.
“… the central government hereby declares that Ammonium Nitrate or any combination containing more than 45 per cent of Ammonium Nitrate by weight including emulsions, suspensions, melts or gels shall be deemed to be an explosive,” a gazette notification of Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) had said in 2011.
In 2015, the government further tightened the norms for import and transportation of Ammonium Nitrate, misused for terror activities, and ordered that its shipments will be allowed in “bagged form only” and its movement within the country must be accompanied by armed guards with GPS vehicles. (PTI)
Car with J&K number plate triggers ‘RDX’ call, panic in Delhi’s Bhogal
A call about the presence of “RDX” in a car in southeast Delhi’s Bhogal area on Tuesday triggered panic in the area, police said.
A false alarm it turned out to be.
A local made a police call after noticing a car with a Jammu and Kashmir number plate parked in the area around 6 am, an officer said.
A police team that was dispatched to the area checked the car and found only carpets and sacks inside, the officer said.
“The owner of the vehicle has been identified and verified. No explosive material was found. The situation is normal,” he said.
While it happened, the area remained in a state of commotion.
The car was allowed to leave after verification of the driver’s credentials, police said. (PTI)
