Delhi Red Fort Blast: i20 Purchased in Pulwama Links Bomber to Faridabad Terror Module

New Delhi: The Delhi Police’s investigation into the Red Fort blast has uncovered a crucial link between the explosive-laden i20 car and a network stretching from Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir to Faridabad in Haryana, pointing to the expanding footprint of the Jaish-linked module recently busted by security agencies.

According to intelligence and police sources, the i20 car, in which Monday’s high-intensity explosion occurred, was purchased last month in the name of Amir Rashid, a plumber from Pulwama, while the payment for the vehicle was made by Dr Umar Nabi, the suicide bomber who died in the blast. Dr Nabi, a resident of Anantnag, had been working as an Assistant Professor at Al-Falah University, Faridabad, and was already under the scanner for suspected links to the Jaish-e-Mohammad terror module operating out of Faridabad.

The interrogation of Dr Adil Ahmad Rather, a resident of Qazigund and a doctor at Government Medical College, Anantnag, led the police to other suspects, including Dr Muzammil and Dr Shaheen Shahid, both of whom were with Al-Falah Medical College in Faridabad and are now in police custody.

Sources said another Pulwama resident, Tariq, had helped in procuring the car. He has since been detained for questioning. Photos circulating online show Dr Nabi posing with Amir Rashid, suggesting close personal and operational association between the two. Investigators believe Amir may have been used as a front for vehicle ownership to avoid direct traceability of the car to the bomber.

The car, reportedly fitted with improvised explosive material, entered Delhi from Haryana via Badarpur before being parked near the Red Fort’s Sunheri Masjid. CCTV footage accessed by investigators shows the vehicle’s movement through multiple checkpoints, including entry and exit points in the parking area near Red Fort, confirming that Dr Nabi was alone in the car at the time.

The blast killed at least 12 people and injured several others, prompting overnight search operations across Paharganj, Daryaganj and other central Delhi localities, where hotel registers were checked and four persons detained for questioning.

The trail of the car and its Pulwama link has led investigators to re-examine the Faridabad module, from where police recently recovered 360 kg of ammonium nitrate, weapons, and assault rifles in a joint operation by the J&K and the Haryana Police. Two individuals from that network — Dr Adil Ahmad Rather and Dr Muzammil — are already in custody, while Dr Shaheen Shahid, arrested late on Monday evening after intensive interrogation, has been accused of setting up the women’s wing of Jaish-e-Mohammed in India.

Preliminary forensic analysis suggests similarities between explosive traces found in the Faridabad seizures and samples lifted from the Red Fort blast site, reinforcing the possibility of a shared logistics chain.

A senior Delhi Police officer confirmed that a case has been registered under sections 16 and 18 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), along with relevant provisions of the Explosives Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Raja Banthia said, “The investigation is ongoing. FSL teams are lifting samples and examining the blast site. It is premature to make any definitive comment, but the car’s ownership and movement trail are key leads.”

With the Faridabad module’s medical professionals and now the Pulwama connection surfacing, agencies suspect a deeper network of radicalised operatives using professional fronts and civilian covers to plan coordinated strikes across Delhi-NCR and western India.

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