The DNA test of samples collected from the Red Fort blast site has confirmed that Dr Umar Nabi was driving the car that exploded there early this week, police sources said Thursday. The DNA samples of Umar’s mother were collected on Tuesday and sent here for examination, the sources said, adding that they were analysed along with the remains gathered from the blast site.
Nabi, who hails from Koil village in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama, was a key member of a “white collar” terror module busted earlier this week. On Monday, hours after police busted the terror module with links to proscribed Jaish-e-Mohammed and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, and arrested eight people including three doctors, the high-intensity blast ripped through a slow-moving car near Delhi’s Red Fort area. The death toll on Thursday rose to 13 after another injured person succumbed to his injuries at the LNJP Hospital here, an official said.
Meticulous planning
Using footage from more than 50 CCTV cameras, Delhi Police has reconstructed Nabi’s last hours — right from leaving Faridabad. According to police sources, Nabi’s movements indicate meticulous planning and deliberate attempts to avoid detection. The chilling hours have been pieced together bit by bit, showing how he travelled from Haryana to Delhi through the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, halted for food at a roadside eatery and spent the night inside his car before entering the national capital.
Dr Umar Nabi
The route-mapping shows that Nabi, who drove a white Hyundai i20, entered Delhi from Faridabad and made multiple loops across the city between 8 am and 3 pm before finally parking near the Red Fort at 3.19 pm. After this stop, he visited a mosque near Asaf Ali Road, close to the Ramlila Maidan. He offered prayers there and stayed for around three hours in the parking area, the footage shows. Around 6.22 pm, the car was seen leaving the parking area and heading towards the Red Fort Metro Station side. Barely 30 minutes later, at 6.52 pm, the vehicle exploded.
Another doctor held
The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has detained a medical student from Kanpur in connection with the ongoing investigation into the recent Delhi blast. The doctor, identified as Dr Mohammad Arif, 32, is a first-year DM (Cardiology) student at the state-run Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Memorial (GSVM) Medical College. “He is likely to be confronted with those already arrested in the Delhi blast case,” the official added.
Police seize a red Ford EcoSport car from Faridabad which is being linked to the attack. Pics/PTI
Al-Falah gets notice
The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) has issued a show-cause notice to Al-Falah University for displaying false certification on its website, officials said on Thursday. The NAAC is an autonomous government body that evaluates and certifies the quality of higher education institutions like colleges and universities.The accreditation for Al-Falah School of Engineering and Technology expired in 2018, while that of Al-Falah School of Education and Training expired in 2016, the notice said.
Third car?
Another car believed to be linked to the Delhi blast case was found parked in Faridabad’s Al Falah University on Thursday. “A suspicious (Maruti) Brezza car at Al-Falah University in Dhauj is being inspected by Jammu and Kashmir Police,” Faridabad police said.
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