Within hours of establishing his involvement in the deadly Delhi blast, security forces early Friday morning demolished the house of doctor-turned-terrorist Dr. Umar Nabi in south Kashmir's Pulwama district.
Dr. Umar Nabi's identity was confirmed after DNA samples collected from the blast site matched those of his mother in Pulwama.
Reports said security forces demolished the house of the accused in the Delhi blast, Dr. Umar Nabi, who was driving the explosive-laden car used in the Red Fort blast. The demolition was carried out during a night operation in Pulwama, south Kashmir.
Officials said the action took place during the intervening night of Thursday and Friday as part of the ongoing investigation into the deadly explosion in Delhi earlier this week. Security forces demolished the Kashmir residence of Umar Mohammad, also known as Umar-un-Nabi, who triggered the car blast near Delhi's iconic Red Fort. The demolition was overseen in the early hours of last Friday.
The investigation into Monday evening's blast, in which 13 people lost their lives and over 20 were injured, revealed that Umar, a doctor at Al-Falah University in Faridabad, was driving the Hyundai i20 that exploded near a traffic signal on Netaji Subhash Marg close to Red Fort. His presence in the vehicle was confirmed through DNA profiling, matching samples from the blast site with those collected from his mother.
The demolition of his house in Kashmir is being seen as a strong message to those supporting terrorist activities on Indian soil. Earlier, similar action was taken against individuals involved in the Pahalgam terror attack conspiracy.
The Delhi blast followed the recovery of nearly 2,900 kg of bomb-making material and sophisticated weapons, including assault rifles. The recovery was made from Muzammil and Shaheen Saeed, doctors and close associates of Umar Nabi.
Muzammil and Shaheen are currently in custody and being interrogated to unravel the plot behind the stockpiling of explosives in Faridabad. Investigators suspect the module, linked to Jaish-e-Mohammed and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, was planning a much larger attack. The Delhi blast is believed to have been triggered by panic after Umar learned of his associates' arrest.
Umar Wanted to Repeat Pulwama
A major revelation has surfaced regarding Dr. Umar Nabi's activities. Sources said Umar was planning to execute a "Pulwama 2.0" attack on the Srinagar–Jammu highway and had conducted reconnaissance of the route for nearly a month. However, heightened vigilance by the Jammu and Kashmir Police over the past few months prevented him from carrying out his handlers' instructions from Pakistan.
Official sources said several digital devices and a suspicious mobile phone were recovered from Dr. Umar's home. It is reported that during his last visit to Kashmir, Umar handed the phone to Amir of Sambura, Pulwama, who later passed it on to his mother.
The phone was found hidden in an irrigation canal behind Dr. Umar's house in Koil, Pulwama. Police also seized the phone of his brother, Zahoor. A laptop, a toy drone, and several other digital devices were also recovered. All items have been sent for forensic examination as investigators hope they can provide crucial leads.
Two Brothers Detained; Interrogation Ongoing
Reports said police arrived on Monday and searched Umar's house. Phones were seized, and Umar's two brothers—Aashiq Ahmed Bhat and Zahoor Ilahi Bhat—were detained for questioning. Dr. Umar's sister-in-law, Muzammil Akhtar, said she last spoke to him on Friday when he told her he would return home within three days.
Sources added that police had been on high alert for nearly three months based on inputs. A special watch was maintained along the Srinagar–Jammu National Highway. Umar is believed to have last travelled from his village toward Jammu via this highway, during which he conducted detailed reconnaissance.
