His mother taken for DNA tests, father detained for questioning
Srinagar: The probe into the deadly car blast near Delhi’s Red Fort has been handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) as investigators zeroed in on a doctor from south Kashmir’s Pulwama district, suspected to have links with an inter-state “white-collar” terror module.
Officials said Dr. Umar Nabi, a Pulwama resident, was allegedly driving the Hyundai i20 car that exploded near the Red Fort Metro Station on Monday, killing at least 12 people.
His identity is being confirmed through DNA testing, for which police collected samples from his mother, Shameema Begum, in Pulwama on Tuesday.
“DNA samples have been taken to match with the remains found at the scene,” an official said. The suspect’s father, Ghulam Nabi Bhat, was also detained later in the day for questioning.
According to preliminary investigations, Umar, who worked as a faculty member at a college in Faridabad, may have been carrying explosives linked to a terror module busted earlier in Haryana, where nearly 2,900 kg of explosive material was seized and eight people, including three doctors, were arrested.
Sources said Umar had been under pressure after the Faridabad module was exposed and might have accidentally triggered the blast while driving near the Red Fort.
Investigators said Umar had been waiting in the Sunehri Masjid parking lot near Red Fort for nearly three hours before the explosion, apparently tracking updates online about his associates’ arrests in Faridabad.
While earlier reports suggested there may have been two or three people in the car, officials now believe Umar was likely the lone occupant.
CCTV footage from the area reportedly shows a masked man driving the vehicle moments before the explosion.
Officials said the mother of the suspect, Shameema Begum, was taken to a hospital in Pulwama for a DNA test to match samples with human remains recovered from the blast site near the Red Fort Metro Station parking area. She was accompanied by her two sons during the process.
Later in the day, the suspect’s father, Ghulam Nabi Bhat, was also detained from his residence in Koil village, Pulwama, for questioning by the local police.
The main suspect, Dr. Umar Nabi, originally from Koil village, Pulwama, was allegedly driving the Hyundai i20 that exploded near the Red Fort on Monday.
Officials said he was working as a faculty member at a college in Faridabad and had been linked to a recently busted terror module operating across Jammu & Kashmir, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh.
Three persons connected to the sale and purchase of the car used in the blast have also been detained for questioning, officials confirmed.
According to preliminary findings by the Delhi Police, ammonium nitrate, fuel oil, and detonators were likely used in the explosion — similar to materials seized recently in Faridabad, where 2,900 kg of explosives and inflammables were recovered. Investigators suspect a direct link between the Red Fort blast and the Faridabad module.
Police have registered a case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Explosives Act, invoking sections related to conspiracy and execution of a terror attack. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has since handed over the probe to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for a comprehensive investigation.
Meanwhile, Umar Nabi’s family has denied any terror links, describing him as an introvert and a hardworking academic.
His sister-in-law, Muzamil, said, “He was a reserved kind of person right from childhood. He was working as a faculty in Faridabad and had called us on Friday saying he was busy with examinations and would return home after three days. This is unbelievable.”
She added that the family had struggled to ensure Umar’s education, hoping he would secure a stable career. “We cannot believe he could ever be involved in something like this,” she said.
Umar last visited Kashmir two months ago, according to the family.
Investigators continue to examine forensic evidence, CCTV footage, and communication trails to establish whether the blast was part of a larger interstate terror network. Officials said “final forensic and DNA reports are awaited.”
