 "Forensic officials collect samples from the site in the aftermath of the blast that occurred near Red Fort Metro Station on Monday, killing at least nine people and gutting several vehicles, in New Delhi. PTI")
Who’s behind the Delhi car blast — that was the question on everyone’s mind after an explosion rocked the Red Fort area in the capital on Monday evening, killing nine people and injuring over 20 others.
In the aftermath of the car explosion, Delhi Police has registered an FIR under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Explosives Act. Moreover, the national capital has been placed on high alert with strict vigil being maintained at the airport, railway stations and bus terminals.
As investigations continue into the car explosion, authorities have uncovered that the car, a Hyundai i20, that exploded belonged to a Dr Umar Mohammed, a resident of Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama. It is believed that he is also linked to the terror network whose members were arrested in Faridabad, earlier on Monday.
So, who exactly is Dr Mohammed? Here’s what has been found.
Who is Dr Mohammed from Pulwama?
As part of their probe into the Delhi car explosion, authorities have found that the key suspect is 36-year-old Dr Umar Mohammed, who hails from Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama.
Investigating authorities believe that he completed his medicine studies at Government Medical College, Srinagar. Following this, he worked as a senior resident at Government Medical College, Anantnag and later moved to Delhi for a better job. Currently, records show he is working as an Assistant Professor at Alfalah, Faridabad.
A News18 report states that his father was a government school teacher, who left his job around 10-15 years ago. He also has two brothers and one elder sister at home. One brother and sister are married, and one brother is unmarried. Both his brothers and his mother have been detained by the police.
How is Dr Mohammed ‘linked’ to Delhi car blast?
In the immediate aftermath of the Delhi car explosion, authorities began to scour for clues to indicate what caused the blast and who’s behind it.
Their investigations led them to a Hyundai i20 car , which was first spotted around 7.30 am outside Asian Hospital in Faridabad and later entered the capital from the Badarpur toll booth via the Faridabad road at around 8:13 am Monday.
The car was then captured on CCTV footage at a parking lot near the Red Fort for over three hours. In fact, visuals show a man, now believed to be Dr Mohammed, sitting inside it for the entire period that it was parked over there. The police suspect that Dr Mohammed was either waiting for someone in the car or was waiting for further instructions. However, he did not meet anyone in the parking lot.
From there, the car started driving towards central Delhi. The blast was triggered when the car was near a traffic light near the Red Fort.
Interestingly, when investigators tried to track down the owner of the vehicle through its registration details, they found that the i20 was initially owned by a man named Salman. He then sold it to another man named Devendra.
From Devendra, the car passed on to Sonu, who later sold it to a man identified as Tariq. It finally landed in the hands of Dr Mohammed, but the actual possession of the car is still to be determined.
Investigators have reportedly found that Dr Mohammed belongs to the same terror module as the one who was earlier arrested in Faridabad earlier on Monday morning. Investigating officials have reportedly found that Dr Mohammed panicked and triggered the blast near the Red Fort after the arrests of Dr Muzzamil Shakeel and Dr Adil Rather in Haryana’s Faridabad earlier.
“He is from the same terror module. He panicked after the arrests. He, along with his associates, placed a detonator and carried out this terror act,” an officer, who wished to remain unnamed told The Print.
Is there a connection between Delhi blast and Faridabad module?
Based on what they have found so far, investigators believe that Dr Mohammed was part of a “white-collar terror module” with links in Faridabad and Pulwama. In fact, he and Dr Muzzamil Shakeel, who was arrested earlier in the day, belong to the same village in Pulwama.
Moreover, they were both employed at the Al Falah University’s School of Medical Sciences and Research Centre. Sources have been quoted as telling multiple media agencies that they were radicalised through Telegram channels.
For those unaware, Jammu and Kashmir Police, along with Haryana Police, had recovered 2,500 kg of IED-making material during a raid at two houses rented by Dr Muzammil Shakeel in Fatehpur Taga village in Faridabad. The haul included around 360 kg of highly inflammable material, suspected to be ammonium nitrate, along with chemicals, reagents, electronic circuits, batteries, wires, remote controls, timers and metal sheets.
Shakeel was arrested before the raid along with another Dr Adil Rather.
With inputs from agencies