DNA samples taken from members of his family in Kashmir’s Pulwama were later matched with human remains recovered from the car, confirming that Dr Umar was driving the Hyundai i20 when it exploded, sources said.
A DNA test has confirmed that the man who carried out the devastating blast near Delhi’s Red Fort was Dr Umar Un Nabi, a medical professional from Kashmir. His body was blown apart in the blast, leaving investigators unsure of his identity until now.
The November 10 explosion ripped through a busy street outside the historic monument, killing at least 12 people and injuring dozens more. The force of the blast shattered shopfronts and sent panic across the Old Delhi area, one of the most crowded parts of the capital.
Investigators had suspected early on that the bomber was Dr Umar, who had purchased the white Hyundai i20 used in the attack just 11 days before the explosion. DNA samples taken from members of his family in Kashmir’s Pulwama were later matched with human remains recovered from the car, confirming that Dr Umar was driving the Hyundai i20 when it exploded, sources said.
Officials now link Umar to a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) logistics module operating between Faridabad, Lucknow, and south Kashmir. The group allegedly included nine to 10 members, among them five to six doctors, who used their medical credentials to procure chemicals and materials for explosives.
DOCTORS, FAKE IDs, AND RADICAL LINKS
Police say Umar had been missing since November 9, a day after raids recovered nearly 2,900 kg of ammonium nitrate from a Faridabad warehouse. He is believed to have gone underground near Dhauj village, switching off five phones and skipping university duties since October 30.
The wider probe has since ensnared several others. Among them is Dr Shaheen Shahid, a former lecturer arrested from Faridabad, who investigators believe was going to head the India unit of Jamaat-ul-Mominat, the JeM terrorist group’s first-ever women’s wing,.
Two other doctors — Muzammil Ahmad Ganai and ajamul Ahmed Malik — were also detained for questioning about their alleged roles in the network.
Raids have also been carried out across south Kashmir, including at homes of Jamaat-e-Islami activists, following the arrest of Maulvi Irfan, said to have radicalised the doctor trio.
A QUIET MAN TURNED RADICAL
Back in Pulwama’s Koil village, relatives described Dr Umar as a quiet, introverted man who kept to himself and spent hours reading. “He rarely went out or socialised,” said one family member.
But police sources say Umar’s behaviour had changed in recent months. He began travelling frequently between Faridabad and Delhi, visiting mosques near Ramleela Maidan and Sunehri Masjid. CCTV footage from the day of the blast shows him parking near the mosque around 3 pm before driving toward Red Fort.
“He stayed there for around three hours before heading towards the Red Fort,” a senior officer said. A red Ford EcoSport car registered in Umar’s name was also seized in Faridabad. Police found the Delhi address listed on its documents to be fake.
During the investigation, it was found that key suspects Dr. Umar Nabi and Dr. Muzammil Ganaie — arrested after police busted the terror module based in Faridabad — had travelled to Turkey, where their handlers are suspected to be operating. The handlers were reportedly in contact with Nabi and other members of the so-called “doctor module,” officials said, according to PTI.
The passports of Nabi and Ganaie show travel to the country shortly after they joined certain Telegram groups. A handler instructed the doctor module to disperse across India, with target locations selected after the Turkey visit, the officials said.
