Investigators are piecing together the trail behind the Red Fort blast, which killed at least 12 people on Monday evening, as evidence increasingly points to an organised terror operation spanning multiple states. Central agencies have identified a Pulwama-based doctor, Umar Nabi, as the man driving the car that exploded near the Red Fort Metro Station.
Police believe Umar died in the blast. A DNA sample was taken from his mother in Srinagar on Tuesday to confirm whether the remains recovered from the mangled vehicle belong to him. The case has now been transferred to the National Investigation Agency following a review chaired by Home Minister Amit Shah.
The explosion occurred hours after security forces arrested eight individuals, including three doctors, and seized nearly 2,900 kg of explosives in a crackdown on what officials call a “white collar” terror network linked to Jaish-e-Mohammed and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind. The module was believed to be operating across Kashmir, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
Among those arrested were Dr Muzammil Ganaie and Dr Shaheen Sayeed, both associated with Al Falah University in Faridabad. Investigators recovered 360 kg of ammonium nitrate from the campus. Shaheen is alleged to have headed the Jaish-e-Mohammed’s women’s recruitment wing and led the Jamaat-ul-Mominat.
Umar, who was also linked to the university, is suspected to have carried out the attack after fearing he might face the same fate as his detained associates. Officials say he may have transported ammonium nitrate in the Hyundai i20 car before it exploded, adding that a suicide strike has not been ruled out.
Family members in Pulwama described Umar as a reserved and academically focused person.
Also read: Red Fort blast: First CCTV image of suspect Dr Umar emerges
“He was working as a faculty at a college in Faridabad. He called on Friday and said he is busy with examinations and will return home after three days. He was a reserved kind of person right from childhood,” said Muzamil, his sister-in-law.
Preliminary findings indicate that ammonium nitrate, fuel oil and detonators may have been used in the blast. Police sources say the car had been parked in a nearby lot for three hours before the explosion. CCTV footage shows a “masked man” driving the vehicle, and teams are analysing recordings from several routes leading to and from the Red Fort.
A man named Tariq from Pulwama, who allegedly handed over the i20 to Umar, has been arrested. Meanwhile, Delhi Police, NIA and intelligence agencies have launched coordinated searches across the national capital and Kashmir. Four persons have been detained, with two undergoing joint interrogation.
Delhi Police have registered a case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Explosives Act. The city has been placed on high alert, with intensified checks at airports, railway stations, bus terminals and border points.
The Red Fort Metro Station remains closed, and multiple traffic restrictions have been enforced. Commuters have been advised to avoid the area while investigations continue.
Two victims of the blast have been identified as Ashok Kumar, 34, of Amroha, and Amar Kataria, 35, of Delhi. The other bodies, aged between 28 and 58, are yet to be identified. One mutilated body was recovered from the wrecked vehicle. Of the 20 injured, 12 are residents of Delhi and the others are from Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.
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