Red Fort blast probe handed over to NIA; Pulwama doctor was driving car, had links to terror module:officials

New Delhi/Srinagar, Nov 11 (PTI) The probe into the deadly car blast near the Red Fort was on Tuesday handed over to the premier anti-terror agency NIA as investigators zeroed in on a doctor from Pulwama in south Kashmir with suspected links to an inter-state "white collar" terror module.

Dr Umar Nabi was driving the i20 car that exploded on Monday evening and is believed to be one of the 12 people killed, officials said. Jammu and Kashmir police took a DNA sample from his mother to match with the parts found at the scene of the blast, an official said in Srinagar.

As the Delhi police filed an FIR calling the explosion "a bomb blast" and invoked sections relating to conspiracy and punishment for a terror attack under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed that all those responsible will be brought to justice.

“Our agencies will get to the bottom of this conspiracy. The perpetrators behind it will not be spared," Modi said in an address at a public event in Bhutanese capital Thimphu.

After two security review meetings, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said he has instructed security agencies to hunt down each and every culprit behind the Delhi blast--the first attack in the national capital after 13 years.

“Everyone involved in this act will face the full wrath of our agencies," Shah wrote on X.

Officials involved in investigations said they did not rule out the possibility of the explosives in the car getting detonated accidentally as Umar may have panicked.

It has emerged during investigations that Umar waited in the Sunehri Masjid parking lot near the Red Fort for nearly three hours while scouring the internet about updates regarding his associates' arrest in Faridabad. The investigators have also managed to establish an 11-hour trail of Umar's vehicle.

There was no clarity yet on how many people were in the car during the blast. While initially there were claims that there were three people, another account said only Umar, who was on the run after the busting of the Faridabad terror module, was the lone occupant.

At his review meetings, Shah instructed the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) to match the samples collected from the bodies in the car, sources said.

The powerful explosion not only shattered Delhi's calm but also tore through homes hundreds of kilometres away, where families are now struggling to come to terms with the sudden loss of their loved ones.

From the quiet lanes of Shravasti and Deoria to the bustling streets of Meerut, Amroha and Shamli, all in Uttar Pradesh, the victims were everyday people -- drivers of taxi and e-rickshaw, cosmetic store owners, DTC bus conductors and all working to support their families, their dreams for better lives.

Among the victims was 32-year-old Dinesh Mishra of Ganeshpur village in Shravasti district, who had been working at a printing press in Delhi's Chawri Bazar to support his wife and three children.

His father, Bhure Mishra, recalled that Dinesh had returned home for Diwali.

"He was a hardworking man. He wanted to give his children a good education. We still can't believe he is gone," Bhure said, his voice breaking as neighbours gathered to console the family.

The blast occurred hours after eight people, including three doctors, were arrested and 2,900 kg of explosives seized with the uncovering of a “white collar” terror module involving the Jaish-e-Mohammed(JeM) and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind and spanning Kashmir, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

Among those arrested on Monday were Dr Muzammil Ganaie and Dr Shaheen Sayeed, both connected to the Al Falah university in Faridabad from where 360 kg of ammonium nitrate was recovered.

According to investigators, Shaheen was leading the Jaish-e-Mohammed’s women recruitment wing in India. She headed the Jamaat-ul-Mominat, the group’s female wing.

Umar, who hailed from Lethpora in Pulwama district, allegedly carried explosives, possibly ammonium nitrate, in the car, officials said.

Muzamil, his sister-in-law, said Umar had been an introvert right from his childhood and focused on his studies and work.

Preliminary findings suggest ammonium nitrate, fuel oil and detonators may have been used in the blast that ripped through the slow moving car near a traffic signal.

As investigations into the blast and the terror module continues, officials said a man named Tariq from Pulwama district had given the i20 to Umar and is now under arrest.

Teams from Delhi Police, NIA and intelligence agencies have fanned out across Delhi and Kashmir. Four people have been detained in the raids in Kashmir. Of the four, two have been shifted for joint interrogation for their role in the Delhi blast as well as the interstate terror module.

Raids are also being conducted at multiple locations in Delhi. The national capital has been placed on high alert with strict vigil being maintained at the airport, railway stations and bus terminals.

Police said CCTV footage of the car that exploded shows a "masked man" driving the car. Multiple teams have been deployed to scan CCTV from the vicinity of the Red Fort and adjoining routes, officials added.

There was chaos outside the LNJP Hospital in Delhi as family members huddled at the gates, either heartbroken after identifying bodies of their kin killed in the blast or holding on to hope while waiting anxiously for word about their loved ones.

The mortuary gates of the hospital remained under tight security, with only authorised personnel allowed entry. Some could be seen pleading with hospital staff for information about missing family members, while many broke down in tears as ambulances kept arriving and departing.

A worker at the LNJP Hospital mortuary, who had completed his early morning shift, described the scenes from the night as "gruesome". PTI ACB ABS BN SSJ MIJ NSM SGV GRS MPB VIT BUN SKL MIN GSN GSN GSN