New Delhi: The Delhi car blast near the Red Fort, which killed 12 people and injured several others, was allegedly planned to coincide with the Babri Masjid demolition anniversary on December 6, investigators have revealed.

Officials probing the November 10 explosion said Dr. Umar Nabi, who was driving the explosives-laden white Hyundai i20, intended to carry out a major terror strike in Delhi next month. The premature blast, however, is believed to have derailed the plan.

Investigators said Umar, a 28-year-old doctor from Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir, had been radicalised and was working with a terror module linked to Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). He, along with another suspect, Dr. Muzammil Ganai, had reportedly met JeM operatives during a trip to Turkiye in 2021.

Sources said Umar and Muzammil were part of a so-called “doctor module,” a network of educated professionals allegedly tasked with executing attacks on symbolic dates. 

Dump data analysis from Muzammil’s mobile phone showed multiple reconnaissance visits to the Red Fort area earlier this year, confirming that the location was under detailed surveillance.

READ MORE: New CCTV footage shows exact moment white Hyundai i20 exploded near Red Fort | VIDEO

Investigators believe Umar began assembling a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) and may have panicked after seeing news reports about the busting of a major terror module in Faridabad the same day. He reportedly stayed inside a mosque for several hours before the premature explosion occurred near the Red Fort.

Umar is believed to have been killed in the blast, while the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has taken over the probe to trace his handlers and identify cross-border links.

Officials say evidence so far suggests that Umar’s failed attempt on November 10 was only the first phase of a larger plan timed for December 6, marking 33 years since the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya.

PTI inputs