Investigators probing the deadly car explosion near Delhi's iconic Red Fort on Monday evening have uncovered a detailed trail of the suspect's actions, pointing to a rushed suicide mission amid mounting pressure from arrests of his associates. The blast, which claimed at least 9 lives including pedestrians and a bus conductor, occurred at approximately 6:52 p.m. as the vehicle slowed at a traffic signal outside the Red Fort Metro Station's Gate 1. Preliminary findings suggest the attack was linked to the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror outfit, executed by a lone operator from a radicalised network of medical professionals. CCTV footage tracking point towards something interesting- the car was at the parking lot near the Red Fort, for three hours before it finally left and joined the traffic. There’s no clarity as why the car was stationed at the parking lot for three hours. Investigators believe that the car was possibly targeting the parking lot, expecting larger casual crowd at Red Fort owing to the onset of winter. But Red Fort stays shut on Mondays. Frustrated by this, Umar - the man on the wheels of the explosive laden i20, drove out, hit the road, and within minutes the car blew up.
The prime suspect, identified as Dr. Umar Nabi - a 36-year-old general medicine specialist from Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir - appears to have driven the white Hyundai i20 (Haryana registration HR 26CE7674) used in the assault. Originally from a modest family, Nabi topped his MBBS at the University of Kashmir and later earned an MD from Government Medical College Srinagar. He relocated to Delhi in March 2024 to teach as an assistant professor at Al-Falah Medical College in Faridabad, Haryana, where he joined on June 7 that year. Sources describe him as reclusive, often citing "urgent work" for sudden disappearances and rarely engaging with family, whom he was due to meet on the day of the incident, claimed his family members.
Forensic teams are awaiting DNA matches from Nabi's mother and two brothers, detained in Pulwama, to confirm charred remains from the vehicle as his - indicating he was the sole occupant and likely perished in the detonation. Nabi's ties trace to a "white-collar" JeM cell involving fellow doctors, including arrested associates Dr. Muzammil Shakeel and Dr. Adil Rather, with whom he coordinated via encrypted Telegram channels. The group, radicalised by a Shopian-based imam, had stockpiled over 2,900 kg of ammonium nitrate-based explosives in Faridabad, sourced for potential strikes on Delhi landmarks mimicking the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
CCTV Trail of i20 -
CCTV footage and toll records pieced together by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) - which assumed control Tuesday, reveal Nabi's deliberate yet frantic preparations. The i20, which changed hands seven times since 2016 via platforms like OLX and dealers in Gurugram, Ambala, and Pulwama, had been parked at the college campus since late October. Its pollution certificate was renewed October 29 by three men, including a suspected module member.
- 7:04 a.m.: Nabi, masked and paying cash, crosses Badarpur toll from Faridabad into Delhi, a bag visible on the rear seat.
- Morning to early afternoon: The car is spotted at Connaught Place and Mayur Vihar Phase 1
- 3:15-3:19 p.m.:Enters the Sunehri Masjid parking lot in Chandni Chowk, adjacent to Red Fort, and remains stationary for over three hours. Nabi stays inside, reportedly browsing news of his colleagues' arrests that morning in Faridabad, where rifles, timers, and explosives were seized.
- 6:30-6:48 p.m.:Departs the parking lot amid evening rush, heading toward the Red Fort area.
- 6:52 p.m.:Detonates prematurely near the metro gate, using an incomplete ANFO-based IED fuelled by the Faridabad cache. The blast created a fireball but no crater, suggesting a hasty trigger in panic.
Probe Advances Amid Sweeping Raids
The NIA's 11-member team and Delhi police have been scrutinising over 600 CCTV clips, call records, and travel histories, alongside interrogating 13 detainees including three more Al-Falah doctors and a Kanpur-based JeM sympathiser. Eight arrests in Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh - triggered by the Faridabad raids, likely forced Nabi's hand, derailing a larger plot involving 200 IEDs and additional vehicles like a red Ford EcoSport. No shrapnel or projectiles were recovered, underscoring the device's unfinished state. Authorities emphasise the module's infiltration of elite institutions, with Nabi's associates having trained in Turkey.
