Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Nov 12: The Delhi Police on Wednesday issued a high alert across all police stations, posts, and border checkpoints in the national capital and surrounding states to look for a red Ford EcoSport car which may be linked to the Red Fort blast involving a Hyundai i20 car.
The alert was sounded after the police uncovered that Dr Umar Un Nabi Bhat, an assistant professor at Al-Falah University on the outskirts of Faridabad in Haryana, believed to be the sole occupant of the Hyundai i20 which exploded near Red Fort, also owned another car, a red Ford EcoSport, in addition to his Hyundai i20. All police stations, along with the Uttar Pradesh and Haryana Police, have been instructed to trace the car, officials said.
The Delhi blast is the most significant security incident since April 22, when 26 people were killed at the tourist site of Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir. The alert was issued after the investigation revealed that other suspects, already connected to the Hyundai i20 used in the explosion, were also in possession of another red-coloured car, sources said.
The possible involvement of a second car in the operations indicate the accused to be part of a well-coordinated module and having large operational network and planned with layered escape routes, officials said. Intelligence sources believe that two vehicles were likely to be used for executing the blast and facilitate escape. The module is suspected to have wider cross-border links and the use of multiple cars could suggest deployment of additional operatives to support, diversion and escape, the sources believed.
At least five teams of Delhi Police have been deployed to locate the missing vehicle while neighbouring Uttar Pradesh and Haryana Police have also been alerted to maintain heightened vigilance and assist in the search. The sources further said the red Ford EcoSport is registered in the name of Dr Umar Un Nabi, the prime suspect in the Delhi blast case. Dr Umar, who was part of an extensive terror module and was working at the Al-Falah Medical College in Haryana’s Faridabad, was driving the car that exploded near the Red Fort on Monday evening.
The suspect car’s registration details have been circulated to all border units. The vehicle, the sources said, is suspected to have been used by Umar for reconnaissance activities. The car was bought on a fake address, the source added. Dr Umar Nabi had given the address of a house in North-East Delhi for the car purchase, said the source, adding that the police conducted a late-night raid on that address and found nothing.
Investigators have found that Dr Muzamil Ganaie, who was recently arrested after police busted a white-collar terror module, Dr Umar Nabi visited the Red Fort in January, based on Dr Muzamil’s phone details. Dr Umar was likely the sole occupant of the car that exploded on November 10 near Red Fort. The police said they suspect these recces were part of a larger conspiracy to target the historic monument on Republic Day, but were foiled due to intensified patrolling in the area at the time.
Delhi Police Special Cell has also detained a Faridabad-based car dealer in connection with the Red Fort blast case, a police source said. According to the source, Amit, owner of Royal Car Plaza, was taken into custody from his Sector 37 office with the assistance of Faridabad Police soon after the blast took place. The source said Amit helped facilitate the sale of the Hyundai i20 that was used in Monday’s explosion.
During the operations carried out by the security agencies at multiple locations in Kashmir and Faridabad since October 19, it has been found that Dr Umar — who was part of the terror module and was working at the Al-Falah Medical College — changed his location due to continuous pressure from the agencies, they said.
Al-Falah University on Wednesday denied connection with Dr Muzamil Ahmad Ganai and Dr Adeel Rather, who were arrested in connection with the 360 kgs of explosives recovered in Faridabad. While distancing itself from the terror-linked doctors, the University Vice Chancellor Prof Bhupinder Kaur Anand, said that the University has no connection with the accused apart from them working in their official capacities, and no questionable chemical or material is being used or stored within the University premises.
The statement said, “We are deeply saddened and anguished by the unfortunate developments that took place and condemn the same. Our thoughts and prayers are with all the innocent people affected by these distressing events. We have also learnt that two of our doctors have been detained by the Investigating Agencies. We wish to make it clear that the University has no connection with the said persons apart from them being working in their official capacities with the University.”
“We want to make it loud and clear that as a responsible institution, we stand in solidarity with the nation and reaffirm our unwavering commitment to the unity, peace, and security of our country,” University said. “Moreover, the University is extending its full cooperation to the concerned investigating authorities to enable them to arrive at a logical, fair, and conclusive determination in the matter pertaining to national security,” it said. The statement said the Al-Falah Group is managing various institutions since 1997. It became autonomous in the year 2009 and became a University in 2014.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the LNJP Hospital on Wednesday and met the survivors of the Red Fort blast. There was heavy security deployment in and around the hospital where the injured are undergoing treatment. Upon landing from Bhutan, the prime minister went straight to the LNJP hospital to meet those injured in the blast, officials said. He met and interacted with the injured and wished them a speedy recovery, officials said, adding that he was also briefed by officials and doctors at the hospital.