Delhi blast: Pulwama doctor believed to be behind the wheels of exploded car; investigators probing 'suicide bomb' angle

New Delhi: A doctor from Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama is believed to be allegedly behind the wheels of an i20 Hyundai car that exploded near Red Fort and had links to the terror module in Faridabad where a huge cache of explosive material was seized, officials said on Tuesday, as Delhi Police registered a case under the stringent UAPA.

Investigators are probing whether the incident could be a case of a "suicide bombing" or a larger terror plot.

Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golcha had said that the explosion took place in a "slow moving" vehicle at 6.52 PM on Monday.

Besides provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, police have also invoked the Explosives Act and conducted raids across the national capital to piece together the sequence that led to the explosion in the car on Monday evening near the iconic Mughal era monument.

Investigators identified Umar Mohammad, the doctor from Pulwama, as the person driving the car used in the explosion after analysing CCTV footage collected from the area. Initial investigations suggest that ammonium nitrate and detonators may have been used in the explosion that claimed at least 12 lives.

The CCTV footage showed a "masked man" driving the car, which exploded. While body parts are found in the car, investigators will have to rely on DNA tests to ascertain whether it is of Umar Mohammed, who was employed with  Al-Falah Medical College in Faridabad.

While the probe is still on, sources said initial indications are that the incident has links to the seizure of 2,900 kg of explosives, including 360 kg of ammonium nitrate, from Faridabad.

Umar Mohammed is suspected to be part of the Faridabad terror module with investigators claiming that he is allegedly associated with Jaish-e-Mohammad. 

Two other doctors Adeel Ahmad Rather and Muzammil Shakeel with whom Umar Mohammed is associated were arrested from Uttar Pradesh's Saharanpur and Haryana's Faridabad respectively following the recovery in Faridabad. Investigators call it a “white collar terror module”.

One Tariq, who has been arrested, has handed over the car to Umar Mohammed and after fellow doctors, who were part of the terror module were arrested, he panicked and carried out the attack, sources claimed.

The car with registration number ‘HR 26 CE 7674’ was in the name of one Mohd Salman of Haryana’s Gurugram, who sold it to one Devender in Okhla. Devender had sold it to one Amir, which was handed over to Tariq. However, Salman’s name remained in the registration papers.

Investigators said Umar Mohammed had entered Delhi via Badarpur and reached the parking lot near Red Fort at around 3.20 pm and stayed inside the car till around 6.30 pm, sources said.

Officials said multiple teams are examining CCTV footage gathered from private and commercial buildings from the area and adjoining routes to ascertain more details of the incident. Investigators have gathered information that the car was parked in a parking lot for nearly three hours.

Security has already been stepped up in the capital. The Red Cross Road, adjacent to Parliament Building, which was opened to traffic, was once again closed while there were enhanced security measures at metro, bus and railway stations while policemen took rounds of crowded places.