A CCTV video from the toll plaza circulated on social media on Tuesday showed a man with a short beard paying the toll tax at New Delhi's entry point from Faridabad, wearing a blue and black T-shirt. For a few seconds, he leaned his neck out of the window, momentarily revealing part of his face, though the footage was not clear enough for identification. Investigators suspect the man could be Dr Umar un Nabi, who is believed to have been involved in the Monday blast that killed over a dozen people and left several others injured.
A crucial piece of evidence now being examined is the DNA profiling of Dr Umar un Nabi, who is suspected to have been driving the vehicle. Blood samples of his mother have been collected by investigating agencies, and if the samples match, authorities will be able to establish that the car was indeed driven by Umar at the time of the blast. The results, officials say, could help consolidate links to the module previously busted by the Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir Police and enable them to focus on the larger network.
The i20 Hyundai car that exploded had changed hands multiple times from one person to another before it was purchased by Umar. The car’s number plate was found to be registered in the name of Mohammad Salman. Police has detained Salman, and during interrogation, he revealed that the vehicle had been sold to another person.
However, Umar’s family has denied that their son owned or purchased the car in question. Responding to the developments, a senior security analyst noted, “In many such cases, families are often unaware of what their children are involved in. If he had made any purchases or deals in Haryana or Delhi, it’s possible the family was not informed.”
Muzamil, Umar's sister-in-law, said he had been an introvert since childhood, did not have many friends, and mostly focused on his studies and work. “He was working as a faculty member at a college in Faridabad. He called on Friday, saying he was busy with examinations and would return home after three days. He was a reserved person right from childhood,” Muzamil told PTI.
Initial findings by Delhi Police have indicated that ammonium nitrate, detonators and fuel oil may have been used in the blast, which may have a link to the terror module uncovered in Faridabad, where around 3,000 kg explosive materials and inflammables were seized. However, final reports are awaited.
According to media reports, the explosion is appeared to have been carried out by the same transnational and interstate module that was busted by the police in Faridabad a day earlier. Recently, J&K Police had arrested two doctors from Haryana’s Faridabad and Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur for alleged links to the terror groups Jaish-e-Mohammad and Ansar Ghazwatul Hind (AGH).
