Third car tied to Delhi blast recovered

A third car was recovered on Thursday in connection with the Red Fort bomb blast case. According to the police, the plan was to use at least 32 vehicles to carry out explosions on the Babri Masjid demolition anniversary on December 6. The vehicle, believed to have been used by the Red Fort car bomber for reconnaissance, was found parked inside Al-Falah University, Faridabad, Haryana. It is the third car connected with the blast case.

While the main suspect, Dr Umar Un Nabi allegedly detonated his car near the Red Fort on Monday evening, killing 13 people, another car, which also belonged to him, was found parked in Khandawali village, Faridabad on Wednesday. Several teams from Delhi Police, along with other agencies, coordinated operations to track down the missing vehicle. Investigators are now analysing surveillance footage, tracking vehicle registrations to piece together the suspects’ movements.

Meanwhile, in a major development, Faridabad Police on Thursday morning detained the man who parked the second vehicle, which was recovered on Tuesday. The individual, identified as Faheem, is reportedly a relative of Dr Umar. Investigators are questioning him to determine his role in the terror module.

Intelligence agencies believe the Red Fort bomber and his accomplices used one of the vehicles to transport and stockpile ammonium nitrate over time. As regards the larger conspiracy, at least 32 cars were being prepped to carry explosive materials and or deliver bombs, they said.

The cars identified, so far, were selected because they are old and resold multiple times, making it difficult for the security agencies to trace them. So far, eight people have been arrested in connection with the terror module. As part of the ongoing investigations, the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has detained a medical student from Kanpur in connection with the ongoing investigation into the recent Delhi blast, officials said on Thursday.

The doctor, identified as Dr Mohammad Arif, 32, a first-year DM (Cardiology) student at the state-run Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Memorial (GSVM) Medical College, was taken into custody from an undisclosed location. Later, an ATS team searched his rented accommodation in Ashok Nagar, Nazirabad, and seized his mobile phone and laptop for forensic examination before taking him to Delhi for questioning, officials said. Arif is likely to be confronted with those already arrested in the Delhi blast case, they added.

A native of Anantnag in Jammu and Kashmir, Arif, came under the ATS radar following disclosures made during the interrogation of former GSVM professor Dr Shaheen Sayeed. Sayeed, connected to Al-Falah University, has been arrested as part of investigation into the “white-collar” terror module with links to Jaish-e-Mohammed and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind.  

Sources said that on the day of the explosion near the Red Fort in Delhi, Arif was in telephonic contact with individuals allegedly linked to Dr Shaheen’s network, including her brother Parvez. He had also recently visited Jammu and Kashmir, which further raised suspicion. When ATS personnel reached his residence, he allegedly attempted to delete data from his phone, but officials seized the device in time.

Preliminary analysis of his call records and chats reportedly indicated communication with the alleged mastermind and other suspects. Investigators believe the group used a shared email ID to exchange draft messages, a method often employed by terror outfits to avoid electronic surveillance.

Meanwhile, ATS and National Investigation Agency (NIA) teams are continuing operations in Kanpur to trace any additional links to Dr Shaheen’s network. More names may surface as the probe progresses, officials said. Hours after police busted the terror module on Monday, with links to proscribed Jaish-e-Mohammed and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, and arrested eight people, including three doctors, a high-intensity blast ripped through a slow-moving car outside Delhi’s Red Fort area, claiming the lives of 13 people and injuring several others.