Delhi blast: ‘Umar knew agencies were looking for him’, CCTV footage shows suspect entering national capital

DELHI Police have confirmed that the prime suspect, Dr Umar Un Nabi, was spotted at key locations throughout the day of the massive blast near Red Fort Metro Gate No.1, with viral CCTV footage confirming his presence at the Turkman Gate Mosque near the Red Fort before the explosion.

Further CCTV evidence has surfaced, tracing Dr Umar’s movements as he entered Delhi earlier that day, 10 November.

Footage from the Badarpur border toll gate shows Dr Umar driving the white Hyundai i20, stopping briefly at 8:02 AM to hand cash to the toll attendant before proceeding into the city.

A large bag could be clearly seen on the back seat of the vehicle, which the police believe contained the explosive material, according to a report by news agency PTI citing a senior police officer.

“His repeated glances toward the CCTV camera suggest that he knew the agencies were looking for him, and he was consciously monitoring his surroundings,” the officer added.

Investigators noted that Dr Umar, who was wearing a face mask, repeatedly looked towards the CCTV camera, suggesting an awareness that security agencies might be tracking his movements or anticipating a police operation, the PTI report said.

Final sightings before blast

Officials stated Dr Umar was seen in multiple CCTV clips across the city on the day of the incident. These included a sighting at the Sunehri Masjid parking lot, also close to the Red Fort, where he arrived at 3:19 PM and departed at 6:28 PM — just 24 minutes before the fatal explosion.

A huge explosion rocked the national capital near the Red Fort on Monday evening, killing 13 people and injuring over 24 others. The blast, which occurred at 6:52 PM, centred on a white Hyundai i20 car, the force of which severely damaged nearby vehicles and scattered debris across the roadway.

Currently, forensic teams have collected more than 40 samples from the blast site, including the mangled remains of the vehicle and human remains.

A specialist team has been established to analyse the materials and definitively determine the type of explosives used in the attack. Police efforts are now focused on reconstructing Dr Umar’s movements throughout the entire day and tracing his potential handlers or any accomplices who may have assisted him.

Umar, who was known as an academically accomplished professional in his circle, allegedly turned radical over the past two years.

The DNA test of samples collected from the Red Fort blast site has confirmed that Dr Umar Nabi was driving the car that exploded on Monday.

His mother’s DNA samples were collected on Tuesday and sent for examination. They were analysed along with the remains gathered from the blast site.