New Delhi, Nov 12 (UNI) Hours before the explosion near the Red Fort that killed 12 people and injured several others, the man driving the explosives-laden car had visited a mosque near the Ram Leela Maidan, a senior official said on Wednesday.
Dr Umar Nabi, an assistant professor at Al-Falah University and suspected to have been driving the car that burst into flames on Monday, had parked the vehicle at the Sunehri Masjid parking lot around 3:19 p.m., an officer said.
Prior to this, Nabi went to a mosque on Asaf Ali Road, close to Ram Leela Maidan, and is said to have remained there for nearly three hours, offering namaz during his stay.
“He remained there for about three hours before leaving for the Red Fort. We are investigating the case from all possible angles, including the possibility of a fidayeen attack,” a senior police officer said in his statement.
Umar’s three-hour stop at the parking lot before moving towards the Red Fort is under investigation, with officials noting that he had been monitoring developments concerning those arrested in the Faridabad module.
“We are also verifying whether he was in contact with his handlers through a Signal phone,” another officer said.
The officer added that forensic experts are examining evidence to identify traces of a possible Signal device that may have been used to communicate with handlers.
Over 40 samples, comprising damaged vehicle parts, metal debris, and human remains, have been collected from the blast site by the Delhi Forensic Science Laboratory.
An expert team has been constituted to study the collected samples and ascertain the nature of the explosives, according to sources.
Police sources added that agencies are reviewing CCTV footage from the mosque and surrounding streets to trace Umar’s movements before the explosion and determine if others were involved in facilitating the attack.
Meanwhile, the Delhi Police have issued an alert across all police stations, posts, and border checkpoints in the city to track a red Ford EcoSport car suspected to be connected to the blast.
Following revelations that other suspects linked to the Hyundai i20 used in the blast were also in possession of a red car, an alert was issued, the police source said.
The FIR filed by Delhi Police has termed the explosion “a bomb blast” and invoked sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act dealing with conspiracy and punishment for terror acts, officials said.
It was initially claimed that three individuals were in the car during the blast; however, officials clarified that only Nabi, who was on the run after the terror module was dismantled, was driving the i20 at the time.
After exiting the parking area, he travelled along Chhata Rail Chowk Road near the Red Fort and then made a U-turn. According to officials familiar with the investigation, the blast occurred just a few metres before the Red Fort police post.
