Red Fort blast: CCTV trail reveals Umar’s route, halts & final moments

New Delhi, Nov 13: Using footage from more than 50 CCTV cameras, Delhi Police has reconstructed key accused in Delhi blast Dr Umar Nabi's last hours – right from leaving Faridabad the night before the Red Fort blast to driving an explosives-laden car slowly towards the metro station the next evening, seconds before it blew up.

The chilling hours have been pieced together bit by bit, showing how he travelled from Haryana to Delhi through the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, halted for food at a roadside eatery and spent the night inside his car before entering the national capital the next morning.

According to police sources, Umar's movements indicate meticulous planning and deliberate attempts to avoid detection.

A police source said he started on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway on Sunday and then got off the expressway, reaching Firozpur Jhirka in Haryana's Nuh district. He reportedly stopped at a roadside dhaba there and spent the night inside his car.

"He appeared to be in hiding but not in panic. He avoided major towns, preferring highways and small eateries," the police source said.

Later, on Monday morning, he was again seen on CCTV cameras installed along the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, driving slowly toward Delhi. The footage shows him stopping twice, once for tea and once apparently to check his mobile phone.

Police said Umar, driving the Hundai i20, re-entered Delhi the following morning through the Badarpur border, using the same route he had taken earlier from Faridabad.

"Umar's car was first seen leaving Faridabad around 7:30 am near the Asian Hospital. He then crossed the Badarpur toll plaza at around 8:13 am, marking his entry into Delhi. From there, he moved through several parts of southeast Delhi, including Okhla and the industrial belt, crossed Connaught Place, before being spotted in east Delhi and later near central Delhi's Ring Road," said the police source.

"He seemed to have planned every step, including his entry and exit routes, to avoid detection," added the police source.

Police said his phone activity during this period is also being closely examined. Investigators suspect he might have received instructions before proceeding toward the site.

"At 3:19 pm, Umar's car entered the parking area adjacent to the Red Fort complex, where it remained stationary for around three hours. CCTV footage shows the car parked quietly among other vehicles near the Sunehri Masjid parking," an officer privy to the investigation said.

Around 6:22 pm, the car was seen leaving the parking area and heading towards the Red Fort Metro Station side. Barely 30 minutes later, at 6:52 pm, the vehicle exploded in a powerful blast that shattered windows, scattered body parts across the road, and triggered panic among visitors and commuters in the area.

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

His mother's DNA samples were collected on Tuesday and sent here for examination. They were analysed along with the remains gathered from the blast site. "The DNA results confirm that it was indeed Umar who was driving the fateful vehicle," said a source.

Meanwhile, another car believed to be linked to the Delhi blast case was found parked in Faridabad's Al Falah University on Thursday, police said.

"A suspicious (Maruti) Brezza car at Al Falah University in Dhauj is being inspected by Jammu and Kashmir Police," Faridabad police said.

The Haryana-registered vehicle was found in the university parking lot, sources said. Several other vehicles within the university complex were being inspected and details about their ownerships were being verified, they added.

After the white Hyundai i20 exploded near Delhi's Red Fort on Monday evening, killing 13 people and injuring several others, investigators traced a second vehicle, a red Ford EcoSport, linked to the terror module, in Faridabad's Khandawali village on Wednesday.

Faridabad Police also rounded up a person who allegedly parked the EcoSport car in the village and handed him over to Delhi Police, officials said.