 "Dr Umar U Nabi, the son of Gh. Nabi Bhat worked as a doctor at Al-Falah Medical College in Faridabad. Image source: News18")
As the authorities formally identified Umar Nabi as the “bomber” in the Delhi blast near Red Fort that killed 12 people , investigators maintained that they relied on key forensic clues to come to the conclusion. A source close to the probe told The Indian Express that these clues included a charred portion of a leg found near the accelerator and a black sports shoe lying beside the wreckage.
The source noted that while the blast “almost completely destroyed the car,” it left only the front portion of the bonnet, a tyre and part of the gear lever intact. “Forensic teams recovered the lower portion of a leg from the driver’s side and sent it to a hospital mortuary for DNA analysis,” the source told The Indian Express.
The DNA samples taken by authorities from the site of the explosion eventually matched those collected from Umar’s mother. The DNA results came on Wednesday at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).
The shoe that gave it away
The source also mentioned that the investigators recovered a sports shoe near the vehicle, which matched the footwear Umar was seen wearing in CCTV footage recorded across several locations in Delhi as he travelled toward the Red Fort area that day.
“The findings are significant because they provide conclusive, scientifically verified evidence that Umar was driving the i20 when it exploded, a fact that is crucial for establishing his direct involvement in the incident,” the source told The Indian Express.
It is pertinent to note that the massive blast scattered parts of the vehicle more than 100 metres and propelled human remains across a radius of more than 150 metres. Since the incident, police and forensic teams have been collecting the fragments for preservation at the mortuary, the source averred.
On the day of the blast, the authorities found a broken number plate at the site, which helped officers to confirm the vehicle’s identity. Forensic teams also recovered pieces of the shirt Umar was wearing. They noted that the fabric matched the colour of the shirt seen in CCTV footage. Meanwhile, the remains are now being preserved at the mortuary for further investigation.