Security personnel in a cordon-off area near the Red Fort after a blast on Monday that claimed the lives of 12 people and injured several, in New Delhi.
Credit: PTI photo
New Delhi: Muzammil Ganaie, a doctor who was arrested from Faridabad in connection with the seizure of huge quantity of explosives, allegedly recced the Red Fort area several times in January, officials claimed on Wednesday, citing an analysis of data retrieved from his seized mobile phone.
Muzammil is an associate of Umar Nabi, who was allegedly driving the explosive-laden car that exploded near Red Fort on Monday evening. Officials also claimed that forensic experts have collected at least 40 samples from the blast site and one of the explosive samples is likely to be ammonium nitrate.
Investigators claimed that Muzammil along with Umar Nabi had been near Red Fort several times in the first week of January this year with an aim to study the security system put in place in and around the monument.
They claimed their movement was corroborated with the tower location of their mobiles and the reconnaissance was part of the preparations to strike in the national capital.
However, officials indicated that the Monday's blast may not be planned and could be accidental while a hastily assembled explosive device was being transported following the action against the "white-collar module" in Faridabad. However, investigators have not ruled out other angles and are probing all options to find conclusive evidence.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA), which took over the probe on Tuesday, has already formed a special team for probing the Delhi blast and inspected the spot. It has been on the ground assisting the Delhi police since the blast on Monday evening before officially taking over the case.
Forensics teams, which collected at least 40 samples, have also recovered cartridges from the spot. Officials said ammonium nitrate was detected in samples besides another explosive. The second explosive, whose details were not immediately shared, appears to be more powerful than ammonium nitrate, they said.
In a linked development, a preacher, Maulvi Ishtiyaq, who was staying in a rented house within the Al Falah University complex in Faridabad, was taken into custody by the Jammu and Kashmir Police. It was from his home that police allegedly recovered more than 2,900 kg of explosives.
A car dealer was also detained by Delhi Police's Special Cell soon after the blast. Identified as Amit, the owner of Royal Car Plaza, he was taken into custody from Faridabad Sector 37 where he has an office. Amit allegedly helped facilitate the sale of the i20 Hyundai car, allegedly driven by Umar Nabi that exploded.