Delhi Red Fort blast latest: Police found that suspect Dr Muzammil Ganaie visited the Red Fort area multiple times in January. Investigators believe the visits were part of reconnaissance for a possible Republic Day terror plot. The NIA is now leading the probe.
A crane lifts mangled debris from the blast site near Red Fort Metro Station in Delhi, where a car explosion killed 12 people and injured several others on Monday evening. | Pic courtesy: ANI
Two days after the Delhi Red Fort blast that killed 12 people, investigators have uncovered new leads suggesting one of the key suspects had carried out multiple visits to the site earlier this year.
As per sources, Dr Muzammil Ganaie, who has been arrested in connection with the recently busted “white-collar” terror module, was traced to the Red Fort area several times in the first week of January through mobile dump data.
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Officials believe these visits may have been part of reconnaissance ahead of a planned attack on Republic Day that was eventually abandoned due to heightened security.
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Also Read: Red Fort blast: Delhi Police submits report to Ministry of Home Affairs
Sources suggest that Ganaie and his associate, Dr Umar Nabi, the Pulwama-based doctor suspected to have driven the Hyundai i20 that exploded near the Red Fort Metro Station on Monday evening, had surveyed the monument and nearby routes on multiple occasions.
Their movements were verified through tower location data and CCTV footage collected from the area. Police said these findings indicate the two had studied security arrangements and crowd density patterns.
“We have uncovered that he, along with the alleged suicide bomber Doctor Umar, conducted a recce of the Red Fort in the first week of January. This critical information was retrieved from the dump data of Doctor Muzammil’s phone,” said the source.
Investigators are now examining digital communications, funding routes, and possible links to suppliers of explosives used in the Delhi car blast.
Data from Umar Nabi’s phone is also being analysed to determine whether he was in contact with anyone shortly before the explosion. Police are focusing on identifying financiers and logistical facilitators connected to the module.
Also Read: Red Fort blast probe leads to Haryana preacher’s arrest in Faridabad ‘white-collar’ module
The high-intensity blast in Delhi, which tore through a slow-moving car near the Red Fort Metro Station, left 12 people dead and several others injured.
Officials said the case has been handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is examining the wider terror network operating across Kashmir, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh.
The NIA is coordinating with Delhi Police’s Special Cell and central intelligence agencies to trace the origin of the explosives and uncover the full scope of the conspiracy. Officials believe the attack could be linked to the Jaish-e-Mohammed and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind networks that were part of the module exposed in Faridabad earlier this week.
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