The Delhi Police confirmed on Thursday that the man behind the lethal blast in a white Hyundai i20 car outside the Red Fort on Monday evening was Dr Umar Un Nabi, 35, a doctor from Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir, working in Haryana's Faridabad.
As per a report by the Hindustan Times, the DNA test matched samples of a severed leg recovered from the car with Nabi's mother's DNA that was collected in Pulwama and brought to Delhi. Officials of Delhi FSL informed the investigators verbally about the match, while the complete report is awaited.
DNA match confirms identity
As per the Hindustan Times report, the police said several charred body parts were recovered from the blast site inside the car, from nearby buildings and surrounding areas. These included a severed leg stuck between the steering and accelerator of the car, providing a key clue in identifying the driver.
“We had recovered multiple body parts from the car and the blast site, apart from the premises of the nearby post, religious structures, and shops. One severed charred leg was found stuck between the steering and accelerator of the car. The FSL has confirmed that the DNA sample taken from that leg has matched the sample of Nabi's mother, who was taken into custody in Kashmir. Her sample was collected there, flown to Delhi, and handed over to the FSL for testing,” said a police officer, who asked not to be named.
Officials characterised the DNA confirmation as a critical breakthrough in the blast investigation, which directly linked Nabi to the explosion and established it as a "heinous terror incident."
Links to explosive cache in Faridabad
Nabi was an assistant professor at Al Falah University in Faridabad. As per the report, Investigators stated that he was linked to Dr Muzammil Shakeel Ganaie and Dr Adeel Rather, who were arrested last week in Jammu and Kashmir. The duo had allegedly stored over 2,900 kg of ammonium nitrate, detonators, timers, and assault rifles in Faridabad.
According to the police, Nabi had purchased the Hyundai i20 car 11 days before the blast from a dealer in Faridabad and was last seen with the dealer and his associate, Amir Rashid. After Ganaie's arrest on October 30, Nabi allegedly went into hiding. An officer added that when the huge cache of explosive material was found on Sunday night, Nabi ‘panicked’ and fled to Delhi with a detonator and other material, Hindustan Times reported.
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CCTV trail and further recoveries
Another official said that CCTV footage captured Nabi’s movements through Badarpur Border, Connaught Place, Turkman Gate, Sunehri Masjid area and finally near the Red Fort, where the explosion took place, Hindustan Times reported. “However, we could not surely say he had died because out of the 10 bodies, only eight could be identified, and two were just body parts. We detained Nabi's mother and her two brothers for questioning. They were also taken for DNA testing,” the officer added.
As per the reports, the police said Nabi was alone inside the car at the time of the blast. On Wednesday, investigators recovered his second vehicle, a red Ford EcoSport, from Faridabad. It is suspected that the car was used to transport ammonium nitrate. Nabi was suspected of helping Ganaie by moving the explosive materials from his rented accommodation near the university and storing them at different locations.
