Delhi blast: DNA test confirms Dr Umar was driving i20 car that exploded near Red Fort, say sources
Delhi blast: Preliminary investigations suggest links between the Delhi attack and Pakistan-based terror organisations, including Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed.
In a major development in the Delhi Red Fort blast case, forensic results have confirmed that the person driving the Hyundai i20 car that exploded near the Red Fort Metro Station on November 10, killing 13 people and injuring several others, was Dr Umar Un Nabi, police sources said on Thursday.
According to the sources, the confirmation came after DNA samples of Dr Umar's mother matched with DNA samples extracted from bones and teeth recovered from the blast site. The samples were analyzed by experts at the AIIMS Forensic Laboratory.
The Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) had collected the DNA samples of the mother of the suspect. Her samples were sent to the AIIMS forensic laboratory for further investigation.
DNA matched 100%
According to police sources, DNA samples taken from Dr Umar's mother were a 100 per cent match with the remains recovered from the car, confirming that he was indeed the one driving the vehicle at the time of the explosion.
On November 10, Dr Umar was allegedly driving a Hyundai i20 car loaded with explosives when it detonated at the Subhash Marg signal near the Red Fort. The powerful blast spread panic across the area, gutting several vehicles and claiming multiple lives.
According to sources, police discovered Dr Umar's leg stuck in the car's accelerator after the explosion. DNA analysis conducted at the Rohini Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) confirmed his identity, matching samples taken from his mother.
Investigators have determined that Dr Umar was alone in the vehicle at the time of the blast, and he died on the spot when the explosive-laden Hyundai i20 detonated near Delhi's Red Fort on November 10.
NIA constituted a probe team
Meanwhile, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has constituted a "dedicated and comprehensive" investigation team to probe the recent Delhi car blast incident-- a terrorist attack executed by a Jaish-e-Mohammad module unearthed by Indian agencies, top sources said.
The team will function under the supervision of senior officers of the rank of Superintendent of Police and above, ensuring a coordinated and in-depth probe into the case.
The move comes after the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) formally handed over the investigation to the NIA, citing a terror angle behind the explosion.
What Delhi blast probe revealed?
Preliminary findings have linked the explosion to an extremist module earlier dismantled by security agencies in Faridabad. The module is allegedly connected to the terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and individuals associated with Al-Falah University in Haryana.
Investigators believe that the Red Fort blast was carried out in panic after a series of security raids. Dr Umar Nabi, a Pulwama-based doctor employed at Al-Falah Hospital in Faridabad, is suspected to have driven the white Hyundai i20 used in the attack.
Key members of a "white-collar" terror module had plans to target the Red Fort on Republic Day this year as part of their larger conspiracy to hit important installations in the national capital and conducted multiple reconnaissances of the area around the monument, officials said on Wednesday.
During investigation, it was found that key suspects, Dr Umar Nabi, who was driving the Hyundai i20 car that exploded near Red Fort on Monday, and Dr Muzammil Ganaie, who was arrested after police busted the terror module centred in Faridabad, had travelled to Turkiye where their handlers are suspected to be based.
These handlers were reportedly in contact with Nabi and other members of the "doctor module", the officials said.
Investigators believed that the suspects wanted to carry out an attack similar to the 26/11 Mumbai attack in 2008.
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