The investigation into the deadly car explosion near Delhi’s Red Fort has revealed that Dr Umar Mohammad, a senior medical professional from Faridabad, was driving the i20 vehicle that detonated on Monday evening. The blast, which occurred at 6.52 pm, killed nine people and injured twenty others.

The case has since been formally taken over by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), indicating the suspected presence of a wider terror network. According to officials familiar with the inquiry, the confirmation came after forensic experts matched Dr Umar’s DNA with samples collected from his mother and brother.

Authorities said the DNA analysis showed a 100 per cent match with samples derived from Umar’s bones, teeth, and fragments of clothing recovered from the car’s wreckage.

His mother, detained in Pulwama, was brought in specifically for the collection of DNA samples, a police officer confirmed. His family members, including two brothers, were also detained and questioned following the explosion.

Sources suggest that Dr Umar Mohammad was employed at Al Falah University in Faridabad, where he worked as a senior doctor. Investigators are now exploring potential links between Umar and two other individuals previously arrested in connection with suspected terror activities — Dr Muzammil Shakeel and Dr Adil Rather.

Dr Shakeel, also associated with Al Falah Medical College, was arrested in Haryana’s Faridabad after the recovery of approximately 3,000 kilograms of suspected explosives from two residential properties linked to him. Officials believe Shakeel’s involvement points to a “white-collar” extremist ecosystem — a covert network of educated professionals radicalised for terrorist operations.

The connection widened further when Dr Adil Rather, based in Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur, was arrested for putting up posters supporting the banned group Jaish-e-Mohammed in Srinagar. Following these arrests, sources claim, Dr Umar panicked and decided to detonate the car near the Red Fort — an apparent attempt to avoid imminent capture.

Hours before the blast, CCTV footage captured Umar visiting a mosque near the Red Fort. Investigators established that he parked his car at the Sunehri Masjid parking area at approximately 3.19 pm, before entering the mosque on Asaf Ali Road. He reportedly spent three hours there, offering prayers, before driving towards the Red Fort.

Police officials have confirmed that Umar appeared calm in the footage but may have been under significant psychological pressure. “He stayed at the mosque for nearly three hours before leaving. We are probing the matter from all angles,” a senior investigator told PTI.

As the NIA takes charge, authorities are piecing together the broader network linking the three doctors, their radical affiliations, and the logistics of explosive acquisition. Security agencies have placed the Al Falah University and associated medical colleges under intense scrutiny, amid concerns that extremist elements may be exploiting professional institutions for recruitment and coordination activities.

The Red Fort explosion, timed during an evening rush, has reignited fears of urban terror plots revived by radicalised individuals operating under the guise of professional respectability.

Investigators are now pursuing digital and financial trails to establish whether the Faridabad explosives cache was part of a larger coordinated plan targeting major Indian cities.

Based On NDTV Report