Further investigations into the Red Fort blast in Delhi have revealed fresh details related to the suspect Dr Mohammad Umar un-Nabi, including that he stayed in Haryana’s Nuh until the day before the blast and used multiple mobile phones.
Twelve people were killed and several others injured after a Hyundai i20 car exploded near the Red Fort in the national capital.
Suspect stayed in rented room, never came out during the day
Investigations into the case have now shown that Umar un-Nabi, who was allegedly part of a “white collar terror group”, stayed in a rented room in Nuh until a day before the blast in Delhi. Police said that he left the Al-Falah Medical College in Faridabad after his close associate Dr Muzammil Shakeel Ganaie was caught.
CCTV footage from days before the incident showed him at a pollution centre with the i20 car and also getting a mobile phone repaired. However, the turn of events changed after Shakeel Ganaie’s arrest.
Investigation records accessed by HT said that Nabi fled to Nuh on October 30 with the help of Shobah Khan, a nursing staff member at Al-Falah University. Khan helped him find a place at his sister in law Afsana’s house, where she rented him one of her four rooms for ₹6,000, including ₹2,000 monthly rent and ₹4,000 security.
Notably, Umar mostly stayed in his room and only came out during the night, Afsana’s daughter told HT. “He never came out of the room during the day. He had two smartphones and would step out only after dark, mostly to eat dinner from roadside eateries,” she said.
She added, “He seemed very serious, never spoke to anyone, and lived in the same clothes for eleven days.”
“He left suddenly on the night of November 9. The room was stinking and we were scared. Later, we heard about the bomb blast on TV, then police came and took my uncle and mother for questioning. They have not returned yet,” she said.
Suspect used multiple mobile phones: Cops
Umar Un Nabi was seen at a mobile phone shop in Faridabad carrying at least two phones around eleven days before the blast, Delhi Police said that CCTV footage showed.
However, cops also said that the forensic investigation of the i20 car did not indicate a mobile phone, suggesting that he might have thrown them away.
2 Red Fort Metro gates reopened after blast
Days after the blast, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) on Saturday reopened two entry gates of the Lal Quila (Red Fort) Metro station.
In an update posted on X, it said, “Gate number two and three at Lal Quila Metro Station are now open for commuters.” The station had been shut since Monday evening after DMRC said that it was closing it “due to security reasons” after the explosion. All other stations have been operating as usual.
Nowgam blast and Faridabad ‘link’
Nine people were killed in an ‘accidental blast’ in Jammu and Kashmir’s Nowgam police station, authorities said.
Officials said the blast happened while the seized explosive material from Faridabad in Haryana was being handled, according to PTI.
They said the seized items, which included 360 kilograms of explosives, were recovered from the rented home of arrested Dr Muzammil Ganaie. The explosives were being checked as part of the investigation into the ‘terror module’.
