Room 13 in Building 17 at Al Falah University in Faridabad was allegedly where the three doctors linked to Monday evening’s Red Fort blast met and plotted a series of attacks on Delhi, investigators said.
Sleuths from central security agencies on Thursday searched the room as well as a laboratory inside Al Falah Medical College, located on the university campus.
“Room number 13 in Building 17, a boys’ hostel, belonged to Dr Muzammil Ahmad Ganai. The three arrested doctors used to meet for hours in that room plotting attacks on the national capital,” an NIA official said.
Dr Muzammil and Dr Shaheen Sayeed were arrested on October 30 and November 10, respectively, for their alleged membership of a “white-collar terror module” linked to Pakistani outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad, while Dr Umar un Nabi was the sole occupant of the car that exploded near the Red Fort.
Sources said investigators and forensic teams had collected chemical residues, glassware and other material from the laboratory.
“The lab and Room 13 have been sealed. We have recovered electronic devices, including pen drives, from the room,” an official said.
Sources said several other members of the “white-collar terror module” had been identified. Multiple NIA teams are raiding locations in Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir and other parts of the country, with the help of local law-enforcement agencies, to trace them.
“Lookout alerts have been issued at all the airports and borders,” an official said.
DNA match
Nabi’s DNA samples have matched his mother’s, sources said.
“DNA samples from Nabi’s mother were collected in Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir, and brought to Delhi to be matched with the arm recovered near the car. The samples have matched,” an NIA official said.
As for the explosive material used in the blast, the investigators suspect it was a mixture of ammonium nitrate and RDX.
Nabi’s journey
After scanning more than 80 CCTV cameras, NIA officials have reconstructed the final hours of Nabi’s movements across Haryana and Delhi before the blast.
Footage suggests he travelled from Haryana to Delhi along the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway on Sunday. He appeared calm, dining at a highway dhaba close to Delhi, and spent Sunday night in his car without entering the capital.
“He appeared to be hiding but not in panic. He avoided major towns, preferring the highways and small eateries,” a police source said.
He said Nabi entered Delhi on Monday morning through the Badarpur border. His white Hyundai i20 made multiple loops across thecity between 8am and 3pmbefore parking near the Red Fort at 3.19pm.
In the morning and afternoon, his car was caught on camera in multiple districts — Southeast Delhi, East Delhi, New Delhi, Central Delhi and Ashok Vihar in Northwest Delhi, where he stopped at a roadside eatery around midday.
“He appeared calm, ordered his food, and stayed for a while before continuing on his journey,” the source said.
He drove back towards central Delhi, where he visited a mosque near Asaf Ali Road, close to the Ramlila Maidan.
Police sources said hismobile phone activity during this period was being probed. The investigators suspect he may have received instructions before heading towards the blast site.
At 3.19pm, Umar’s car entered the Sunehri Masjidparking area close to the Red Fort complex, where it remained stationary for around three hours.
Around 6.22pm, the car headed towards the Red Fort Metro Station. At 6.52pm, it exploded at a traffic signal, the blast scattering bodies and body parts across the road, leaving several vehicles aflame and sending panicky people running helter-skelter.