Red Fort car blast: Prime suspect Umar Nabi gave wrong Delhi address to register own car

The EcoSport car was the focus of an alert across all police stations, posts and border checkpoints Wednesday, two days after the blast, before it was found parked in Faridabad. “The Faridabad Police recovered the vehicle and informed Delhi Police. The  vehicle was found parked near Khandawali village on a plot with two-three jhuggis. Teams of Delhi Police, NSG and NIA reached the location for examination,” a senior police officer said.

Following the blast, Delhi Police and NIA investigators traced Umar’s “phone number and car details, and conducted a verification of all the documents” used in their purchase. “During verification, they found one document, which he had submitted while purchasing the Ford EcoSport, where he mentioned the address of New Seelampur,” sources said.

Multiple police teams were sent to the Northeast Delhi address where they found a house where a family had been staying for years. “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 the local residents,” sources said.

The questioning led to the two local youths studying at Al Falah Medical College for the past two-years and staying in the hostel. “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,” sources said.

Investigative agencies are also probing a 15-minute visit by Umar to the Faiz-e-Ilahi Masjid in Central Delhi before heading to the T5 parking area near Red Fort. Footage of Umar walking on the street has emerged as a key piece of evidence for agencies as he is seen without a mask — this footage helped police identify him with the help of facial recognition.

Umar, wearing black pants and a black sweater, can be seen in the footage walking barefoot inside the mosque and its premises around 2:34 pm Monday. “He spent considerable time inside the mosque. We are probing the purpose of the visit and whether met someone there,” sources said, adding that investigators who analysed the footage are of the view that Umar “seemed anxious” and “kept turning back” while walking.

Sources also said Umar used the name Tariq on an online platform  to purchase the i20 car in which the blast took place. They said he had told his friend, Aamir Rashid who is currently in J&K police custody, that he needed his ID card to purchase a car.

Officials said the number plate of the i20 had crumpled in the blast and had to be prised open to identify the registration. The car’s make was identified with the help of the tyre rim where the letter ‘H’ indicated it was a Hyundai model. The other remains of the car were mangled.