NEW DELHI: Investigators probing the November 10 suicide bombing near Red Fort — which killed 15 people — are still trying to answer three central questions:
- Where and when did ‘bomber’
Dr Umar Un Nabi assemble the IED? - How did he trigger the device?
- Did he contact a handler on the day of the attack?
Investigators believe the first puzzle may be closer to an answer. A key line of inquiry suggests Umar might have assembled or finalised the improvised explosive device at a parking area near Old Delhi’s Sunehri Masjid. The theory is backed by a precise CCTV trail that shows him driving into the parking lot at 3.19pm and leaving at 6.28pm, spending more than three hours there. The blast took place nearby at 6.52pm.The second question — how the blast was triggered — is expected to be clarified once the National Security Guard and forensic teams submit their detailed explosive analysis report, which will then be matched with other probe findings.The third question, regarding communication with a handler, hinges on the analysis of internet protocol detail records and dump data. Investigators have identified around 70 active anomalous numbers and are examining whether any of them were in touch with numbers traced to Turkiye or Afghanistan, sources said.Parallel to this, police are reviewing designs and materials recovered in connection with the module’s broader plans to use drones and small rockets for future attacks. Umar and his associate Dr Muzammil Shakeel — who later fell out with him over money — had allegedly tasked their accomplice, Jasir alias Danish, with preparing drones fitted with cameras and explosives for reconnaissance and the blast itself. The group was also exploring the use of Hamas-style gliding rockets.The NIA is currently interrogating two arrested suspects — Jasir and car owner Amir — as the probe widens to uncover the full scope of the module’s operations.
