Red Fort blast case: ‘Never thought I’ll make news,’ says man whose address was used to register Umar’s EcoSport

“Delhi Police officers said I have to come with them. It isn’t an option when they ask like that… My wife and four brothers got scared,” said Tassawwur.

On Tuesday afternoon, he took his two-wheeler and left Kairana. He reached his madarsa around 6 pm, when the evening classes for his students were about to commence. Around 7.30 pm, the police officers took Tasawwur in for questioning.

“Kaun si agency nai thi – Delhi Police, NIA, everyone. They took me to the Pandav Nagar police station. Four to five officers questioned me for an hour. There were no allegations as such. They asked me to stay calm and just tell me everything as it is. A senior officer then called me to his room… I was let go around 8 pm,” he said, adding that he had never met Umar.

In the last 24 hours, few media personnel have arrived looking for Tasawwur. “I locked the gate last night, but kept receiving calls from media personnel. I think I have slept for only four hours in the last couple of days,” he said.

Tassawur said he teaches around 70 children in three batches at his madarsa. “In the morning, 40 boys come, followed at 2 pm by 15 girls. In the evening, there is another batch for boys who come after school.”

Multiple police teams had visited Tassawur’s place in Northeast Delhi. “After questioning and verification, it emerged that there was no link between the family and Umar. The teams then looked for a common link and started questioning local residents in Tassawur’s area,” a source in the police said.

The questioning led the police to two local youths, who had been studying at Al Falah Medical College in Faridabad’s Dhauj for the last two years. “Teams were sent to the college from where both the students were picked up for questioning. Their cellphones, laptops and social media accounts are being scanned,” a source said.

Probe agencies are also probing a 15-minute visit by Umar to the Faiz-e-Ilahi Masjid in Central Delhi before heading to the parking lot near Red Fort before the blast. Clad in black pants and a black sweater, Umar can be seen walking barefoot inside the mosque at 2.34 pm in the CCTV camera footage.

Since Tuesday morning, the mosque – located in the middle of the Aruna Asif Ali Road – has seen NIA and Delhi Police Special Cell personnel making frequent trips.

When The Indian Express visited the mosque on Thursday, a devotee, Mohammad Shoaib – who has lived all his life in Daryaganj – pointed to the seven neatly stacked rows of carpets, placed right in front of the Imam’s seat.

“Hundreds come here at the time of prayers. If the compound gets filled, people stand outside to offer prayers. Of course, there are local residents who are recognisable. But he (looking at Umar’s photo) is definitely not recognisable. Many people come and go like that,” he added.

A police officer said they have questioned multiple people who were in the vicinity of the mosque at the time Umar visited the premises.

“He spent considerable time inside. We are still probing the purpose of his visit and whether met someone there. Prima facie it appears he was offering prayers before leaving for the fort,” a source said.

“Investigators who analysed the CCTV footage are of the view that he seemed anxious and kept turning back while walking,” the source added.