Police on Tuesday intensified investigations into the Delhi Red Fort blast, treating it as a possible terrorist attack after identifying a Pulwama-based doctor believed to have been driving the car that exploded, reported the PTI.
Officials said that the driver of the car, Dr Umar Nabi, was allegedly linked to an interstate terror module previously busted with the seizure of explosives from Faridabad.
Dr Nabi is suspected to have died in the explosion, which killed at least 12 people and injured 20 others on Monday evening. Jammu and Kashmir Police have collected a DNA sample from his mother to confirm his identity. “We have taken the DNA sample in order to match it with the remains recovered from the blast site,” an official in Srinagar said, according to the PTI.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has taken over the probe, following a review meeting chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who also called for another high-level security review later in the day.
The Red Fort blast occurred hours after eight individuals, including three doctors, were arrested and nearly 2,900 kg of explosives were seized in connection with a “white-collar” terror network linked to Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGH), spanning Kashmir, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, as per the PTI.
Among those detained were Dr Muzammil Ganaie and Dr Shaheen Sayeed, both affiliated with Al Falah University in Faridabad, where 360 kg of ammonium nitrate was recovered. Investigators allege that Dr Shaheen led JeM’s women’s recruitment wing, Jamaat-ul-Mominat, in India, the news agency reported.
Officials believe Dr Umar, also associated with Al Falah University, may have carried out the attack fearing arrest after his colleagues’ detention. He reportedly transported explosives, possibly ammonium nitrate, in the Hyundai i20 that exploded near the Red Fort Metro Station. Authorities have not ruled out the possibility of a suicide attack.
Preliminary forensic findings suggest the use of ammonium nitrate, fuel oil, and detonators. Police have arrested a man named Tariq from Pulwama, who allegedly supplied the car to Umar.
Teams from the Delhi Police, NIA, and intelligence agencies have launched raids in Delhi and Kashmir. Four suspects have been detained in the Valley, two of whom are undergoing joint interrogation over their role in both the Delhi blast and the wider terror module.
Police have registered a case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Explosives Act, and have placed the national capital on high alert. Checkpoints have been strengthened at all entry points, airports, railway stations, and bus terminals.
CCTV footage shows a masked man driving the car, and multiple teams are reviewing footage from nearby routes and parking areas. The vehicle was reportedly parked for around three hours before the blast. Searches were also conducted overnight at hotels and guest houses in Daryaganj and Paharganj, reported the PTI.
The Red Fort Metro Station has been temporarily closed, and traffic diversions have been implemented. Delhi Traffic Police have issued an advisory urging commuters to avoid the Red Fort area.
So far, two victims — Ashok Kumar (34) from Amroha, Uttar Pradesh, and Amar Kataria (35) from Delhi — have been identified. The remaining bodies, aged between 28 and 58, are yet to be named. One mutilated body, believed to be that of the car’s driver, was recovered from the wreckage.
(with PTI inputs)