Red Fort Blast Probe: Key Accused Hid In Nuh, Used Multiple Phones To Dodge Trail

In a fresh development in the November 10 Red Fort car blast in Delhi, which killed 13 people and injured several others after a Hyundai i20 exploded, investigators have found that key accused Dr Mohammed Umar-un-Nabi stayed in Haryana’s Nuh district until a day before the incident and used multiple mobile phones to evade tracking. He lived in a rented room and reportedly avoided stepping outdoors during the daytime to escape detection.

Investigators have found that Umar un-Nabi, described by officials as part of a “white-collar terror module,” stayed in a rented room in Haryana’s Nuh district until just a day before the Delhi blast. Police say he abruptly moved out of Al-Falah Medical College in Faridabad soon after the arrest of his close aide, Dr Muzammil Shakeel Ganaie.

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CCTV footage from the days leading up to the incident show Umar visiting a pollution-check centre with the Hyundai i20 and later stopping at a shop to get a mobile phone repaired. His movements changed drastically following Ganaie’s detention.

According to the HT report, Umar escaped to Nuh on October 30 with assistance from Shobah Khan, a nursing employee at Al-Falah University. Khan arranged accommodation for him at the home of his sister-in-law, Afsana, who let out one of her four rooms for Rs 6,000, including Rs 2,000 rent and Rs 4,000 as security.

Afsana’s daughter told HT that Umar rarely emerged from the room during daylight hours. “He would stay inside the whole day. He had two smartphones and left only after dark to get dinner from street vendors,” she said, adding that he appeared withdrawn and wore the same clothes throughout his 11-day stay.

She said he vanished suddenly on the night of November 9. “The room smelled terrible after he left, and we were frightened. The next day we saw news of the blast. Later, police came and took my mother and uncle for questioning. They haven’t come back yet.”

Used Multiple Phones, Say police

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Delhi Police said CCTV footage from a Faridabad mobile repair shop captured Umar handling at least two phones around 11 days before the blast. However, forensic teams examining the i20 found no trace of any mobile device, leading investigators to believe he may have discarded them before the explosion.