Delhi Red Fort blast: Suspect went underground 3 days before explosion

Delhi red fort blast

After the explosion, that took place near the Red Fort and killed 12 people, it was reportedly found during the probe that the suspect, Dr Umar Nabi, had switched off his phone three days before the blast and his family had been unable to reach him.

The suspected suicide bomber had allegedly gone underground after he came to know that the police were looking for him following the arrest of Dr Adil and Dr Muzamil - the doctor duo whose questioning led the police to recover 2,900 kg of explosive material including ammonium nitrate from Faridabad in Haryana, according to a report by NDTV.

The white Hyundai i20 used in the blast was allegedly being driven by Dr Umar Nabi, who reportedly hails from Pulwama. Preliminary probe revealed that Nabi had links to a terror module linked to major explosives seizure in Haryana’s Faridabad recently.

Nabi is believed to have died in the Monday evening explosion that left at least 12 dead. Jammu and Kashmir Police on Tuesday obtained a DNA sample from his mother to verify the link. "We have taken the DNA sample in order to match with the parts found at the scene of the blast," an official in Srinagar told PTI.

The case has been handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), a decision taken after a review meeting chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

The blast near Red Fort on Monday evening came 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 and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind and spanning Kashmir, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

Among the people who were arrested on Monday were Dr Muzammil Ganaie and Dr Shaheen Saeed -- both with associations to the Al-Falah university in Faridabad, from where 360 kg of ammonium nitrate was recovered.