How a calendar mix-up derailed Umar Nabi's original plan to detonate bomb near Red Fort parking

At least 12 people were killed and 20 others suffered injuries in the explosion on Monday evening. (Courtesy: PTI photo)

Dr. Umar Nabi, who is said to have been driving the Hyundai i20 car that exploded near the Red Fort metro station on Monday evening, visited the monument multiple times in order to study the security arrangements. The suspect in the blast case wanted to understand the crowd density patterns, said an official part of the ongoing probe.

The car, CCTV footage showed, was parked near the Red Fort for about three hours with the driver inside the entire time ahead of the explosion. The vehicle, bearing a Haryana number plate, entered a parking lot near the Sunehri Masjid around 3:19 pm and exited at 6:48 pm. It then headed towards the traffic signal near the Red Fort metro station and exploded around 6:52 pm.

The 3-hour wait: Explained

Now, some new revelations in the probe have added a surprising twist. Umar had originally planned to detonate the bomb — placed in the car's back seat — near the Red Fort parking area as it witnesses heavy footfall during the winters, NDTV said in its report quoting sources among the investigators.

Following the massive explosives haul in Faridabad and arrest of his associates, Umar panicked. In his haste, he overlooked a crucial detail — Red Fort remains closed on Mondays. When he arrived at the parking lot, it did not appear as he pictured it. To his shock, Red Fort was almost deserted. That is likely to have frustrated Umar, who was then uncertain about his next move.

Umar then drove out onto Netaji Subhash Marg, which runs along the Red Fort on one side and Chandni Chowk on the other. Moments later, the car exploded at a traffic signal near the Red Fort metro station, leaving 12 people dead and triggering a nationwide alarm.

Who is Umar Nabi?

Umar, hailing from J&K's Pulwama, was allegedly driving the Hyundai i20 car that was used in the explosion. According to police sources, ammonium nitrate, fuel oil and detonators may have been used in the blast.

Born on 24 February 1989, Umar was working as a doctor at the Al Falah Medical College in Faridabad. He was allegedly a close aide of Dr Adeel Ahmad Rather and Dr Mujammil Shakil, the two doctors who were arrested on Monday in the investigations into a new "white collar" terror module busted by the police teams of Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana.

Umar, investigators believe, escaped from Faridabad after learning that his associates had been arrested. As per sources, he 'panicked' and triggered the blast near Red Fort.

The blast: What we know

At least 12 people were killed and several injured after a white Hyundai i20 exploded near Gate No. 1 of Delhi's Red Fort metro station on Monday evening. Delhi Police on Tuesday registered an FIR under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Explosives Act in connection with the deadly blast.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) then formally handed over the investigation to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), citing a terror angle behind the explosion. The probe agency has constituted a "dedicated and comprehensive" team to probe the Red Fort car blast incident.

The explosion rocked Delhi just hours after police recovered 2,900 kg of explosives in Faridabad. Security agencies unearthed what they described as 'white-collar terror network' spanning Jammu & Kashmir, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh and arrested eight people, including three doctors.

Of the total explosive material recovered from two rooms in Faridabad, police recovered 360 kg of inflammable material suspected to be ammonium nitrate along with some potassium nitrate and sulphur.