Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Nov 13: The security agencies may have foiled a massive plot to trigger a nation-wide terror attack by unearthing the “Faridabad module” with the arrest of three doctors connected with the Al-Falah University and recovery of over 2,900 kgs of explosives from two rented houses in Faridabad in Haryana.
The car blast near the Red Fort, considered to be a panicked reaction to the massive raids carried out to unearth the explosives, forced the investigating agencies to go to the bottom of the massive plot. While much more are yet to be revealed, what has come out so far speak volumes of a major terror plot being planned by the Pakistan-based handlers to trigger serial bomb blasts across the country.
Thirty-two cars – including the three detected so far, were being prepped to carry explosive materials and/or deliver bombs, sources said on Thursday. The cars – including the Hyundai i20 that exploded near red Fort were meant to be part of a serial ‘revenge’ attack targeting multiple locations including six in Delhi on December 6 on the anniversary of the demolition of Babri Masjid, sources said.
The cars identified so far were chosen because they are old and have been re-sold multiple times, making it difficult for the cops to trace them. However, all four have now been found; the Brezza – HR87 U 9988 – was found on the campus of Al-Falah University, an institution that has emerged as the epicentre of the terrorists’ activities.
The red EcoSport – registration number DL10 CK 0458 – was found late Wednesday, abandoned in Haryana’s Faridabad, which now seems to be this terror module’s base of operations. A young man, not yet identified, was found sleeping in the back seat, and has been taken into custody. And the Swift Dzire was seized Monday; an assault rifle and ammunition was found in the car.
The i20 entered Delhi Monday morning at the Badarpur border crossing and circulated in the city for a few hours. The plan, it appears, was to detonate it inside the Red Fort’s parking lot. However, because the fort is closed to visitors on Monday, Umar Un Nabi improvised and set the bomb off at a busy traffic signal right outside the fort’s entrance, and near a metro station.
Mohammed, alias Umar un-Nabi, may have panicked after the arrests of his accomplices, Adil Ahmad Rather, Mujammil Shakeel, and Shaheen Saeed, who drove the Brezza,and the recovery of the explosives. Several of the terrorists in this cell worked at, or had links to, the Al-Falah institution that has now distanced itself from their actions. “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 country.”
The Delhi Police and central investigating agencies have pieced together the final 48 hours of Dr Umar Nabi’s movements before triggering the explosion near Red Fort. Drawing on over 50 CCTV recordings, toll gate logs, and mobile data, investigators have reconstructed Umar’s journey across Haryana and Delhi.
According to sources, Umar, a 35-year-old doctor formerly associated with Al Falah University in Faridabad, was first seen leaving Faridabad early Monday morning. CCTV footage shows him driving a white Hyundai i20, purchased only two weeks earlier from a used-car dealer in the city.
Sources said Umar had been under stress since the arrest of two of his colleagues — Dr Mujammil Shakeel and Dr Adeel Rather — after authorities recovered nearly 2,900 kilograms of explosives from Faridabad. The seizure, investigators believe, forced Umar to act ahead of schedule.
According to sources, his car was tracked on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, where he made at least two stops — one at a roadside dhaba where he ate, and another at a mosque in Firozpur Jhirka, Mewat district, where he was seen offering prayers. Later, he parked his car near another eatery, reclining in the driver’s seat and spending the night there. At 8:13 am on Monday, the white i20 crossed the Badarpur toll plaza in Delhi. From that moment, the car’s movements form a zigzag trail across the city, captured by surveillance cameras.
He was first seen near Okhla, then at Connaught Place, before moving through East and Central Delhi. Later, cameras captured him entering Ashok Vihar in North West Delhi, where he stopped at a small roadside restaurant around midday. “He appeared calm, ordered food, and stayed for a while before continuing his journey.”
Around 1:00 pm, Umar’s car was seen heading back towards central Delhi. He made a brief halt at a mosque near Asaf Ali Road, close to Ramlila Maidan. There, he stayed in the parking area for nearly three hours, apparently resting and checking his mobile phone intermittently. Police are now investigating his call and message logs from that period, suspecting possible instructions were received before he began his final approach toward the Red Fort area.
At 3:19 pm, Umar’s car entered the Sunehri Masjid parking lot adjacent to the Red Fort complex. For nearly three hours, the vehicle remained stationary amid rows of other parked cars. Surveillance footage shows no signs of activity — no one approaching or leaving the car.
At 6:22 pm, the vehicle pulled out of the parking area and moved towards the Red Fort Metro Station. Thirty minutes later, at 6:52 pm, the car exploded at a busy intersection, sending fire and debris across the road and injuring dozens of commuters and tourists. The blast, captured by a traffic camera, shows a slow-moving car engulfed in flames seconds before chaos erupted.
DNA samples collected from the site have now conclusively matched those of Umar Nabi. His mother’s DNA was used for verification, confirming he was inside the car at the time of detonation.