Red Fort Blast: Investigators Identify Faridabad Doctor Dr. Umar U Nabi as Prime Suspect

New Delhi, November 11: Investigators probing the deadly car explosion near Delhi’s Red Fort have reportedly identified the suspected perpetrator as Dr. Umar U Nabi, a Faridabad-based medical professional with alleged links to a radical network. According to exclusive information accessed by CNN-News18, forensic evidence and CCTV footage have established a direct connection between Dr. Umar and the vehicle involved in Monday’s blast that claimed at least nine lives and left over 20 injured.

A severed hand, believed to belong to the driver of the Hyundai i20, was recovered from the explosion site and is suspected to be that of Dr. Umar. Investigators are now collecting DNA samples from his family in Kashmir to conclusively establish his identity. An image of a man in a blue shirt, believed to show Dr. Umar moments before the explosion near Red Fort, has also surfaced as part of the ongoing probe.

Dr. Umar U Nabi, son of Gh. Nabi Bhat, hailed from Koil in Pulwama district, Jammu & Kashmir, and was working as an Assistant Professor at Al-Falah Medical College in Faridabad. Born on February 24, 1989, Dr. Umar completed his MD in Medicine from Government Medical College, Srinagar, and later served as a Senior Resident at GMC Anantnag before moving to Delhi.

Sources indicate that Dr. Umar was a close associate of Dr. Adeel, another figure under investigation in the widening terror network probe. His mother, Shamima Banoo, and two brothers have been detained by police for questioning. His father, a former government schoolteacher, reportedly left his job nearly 15 years ago due to mental health issues.

According to officials, Dr. Umar was part of a clandestine group of radicalised medical professionals who communicated through encrypted Telegram channels, forming what investigators now describe as the “Faridabad Module.” The group is suspected of having been influenced by extremist ideology and may have been plotting coordinated attacks.

A senior official involved in the probe told CNN-News18 that after law enforcement agencies intensified crackdowns in Faridabad and Jammu & Kashmir, Dr. Umar — who had been absconding — might have “panicked and decided to use the explosives already in his possession to execute the attack.”

The explosion, which tore through a Hyundai i20 near the Red Fort Metro Station around 6:45 p.m. on Monday, was powerful enough to incinerate multiple vehicles and send shockwaves through one of Delhi’s busiest areas. The incident is now being officially treated as a suicide attack.

Multiple agencies, including the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Delhi Police Special Cell, and National Security Guard (NSG), are jointly investigating the case to determine whether the attack was part of a broader terror conspiracy.