Investigators examine Delhi bomber’s access to explosives after module bust

Investigative agencies probing the Delhi car bombing are examining how “suicide bomber” Dr Umer-un-Nabi managed to procure explosive materials after going into hiding, soon after the interstate “white-collar” terror module was busted.

Pulwama native Umer-un-Nabi, who was working with a private hospital run by Al-Falah University at Dhauj in Faridabad, disappeared soon after his university colleague Dr Muzamil Ahmad Ganai was arrested. Ganai’s arrest led to the recovery of over 2,900 kg of material used for making improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Faridabad.

Security agencies are now trying to piece together how Umer—during his period in hiding—managed to source the explosives and prepare them ahead of the blast near the Red Fort in Delhi on November 10, which killed 13 people and injured several others.

During the initial J&K Police operation, 358 kg of ammonium nitrate, along with other materials and weapons, was recovered. Subsequent searches led to the recovery of an additional 2,563 kg of explosive-making material from a house owned by a Mewat cleric, Ishtiyaq, in Fatehpur Taga village, about 4 km from Dhauj.

On Monday last week, the J&K Police, in coordination with the Haryana Police, made these recoveries. Just hours later, a car explosion took place in New Delhi.

A senior security official told The Tribune on Monday that investigators are exploring all possible sources of the explosives used by Umer. “We are looking into whether he had hidden explosive material at locations other than those raided by security agencies, or whether he managed to procure it from somewhere else. All such linkages are being examined,” the official said. He added that agencies are also probing whether Umer may have stored additional material at unknown locations.

Sources said module members and Umer’s close aides have told investigators they had no knowledge of where the bomber obtained the explosives used in the attack after the module was busted.

Security officials are also investigating how the module members learned explosive-making techniques and whether they were in contact with any individuals based outside India. Preliminary inputs suggest the module relied on “internet-based assistance” to learn how to assemble IEDs, sources said.

Officials added that a clearer picture will emerge once the mobile phones of the module members—sent for forensic analysis—are fully examined. “We expect to gather substantial information once the digital forensic reports come in,” a security official said.