The probe into the deadly car blast near Delhi’s Red Fort has advanced sharply with the National Investigation Agency (NIA) making a key arrest connected to the attack that killed 10 people on November 10. The agency announced the arrest of Amir Rashid Ali, a Kashmiri resident of Samboora in Pampore, who investigators believe played an active role in enabling the operation.
Officials said the Hyundai i20 that detonated at a crowded Old Delhi intersection was registered in Ali’s name. According to the NIA, Ali had travelled to Delhi weeks earlier to help arrange the vehicle’s purchase, acting in concert with the suspected bomber Umar Un Nabi. The car’s movement through Old Delhi—captured on multiple CCTV cameras stopping at several major junctions—has become a crucial thread in reconstructing the sequence leading up to the explosion.
The agency confirmed that forensic analysis had identified the deceased driver as Umar Un Nabi, a Pulwama native who worked as an Assistant Professor at Al Falah University in Faridabad. His professional and personal network has now become a focal point of the investigation.
The arrest of Ali follows a wave of detentions by the Delhi Police on Saturday, when three individuals were picked up for questioning, including two doctors associated with Al Falah University. The institution has increasingly figured in the inquiry as investigators map potential connections within what they suspect is a wider terror module.
The NIA said it is actively examining several developing leads to uncover the broader conspiracy behind the blast and determine the roles of additional individuals who may have supported or facilitated the attack.
