The Three-Hour Wait: CCTV Reveals Dr Umar's Chilling Countdown Before Red Fort Blast

Last Updated:November 11, 2025, 19:40 IST

The evidence points to the suspect, Dr Umar Mohammad, executing the attack as a desperate, solitary act after his sophisticated terror network was busted

Dr Umar Mohammad was seen inside the car ahead of the blast. File image

The investigation into Monday’s deadly car blast near the Red Fort has uncovered a chilling sequence of events, pieced together hour by hour using CCTV footage.

The evidence points to the suspect, Dr Umar Mohammad, a Kashmiri medical professional linked to the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror module, executing the attack as a desperate, solitary act after his sophisticated terror network was busted.

The Doctor Who Slipped Through the Net

Dr Umar, a 36-year-old doctor from Pulwama, was part of a “white-collar terror ecosystem" that included two other doctors, Dr Adeel Ahmad Rather and Dr Muzammil Shakeel, both arrested hours before the Delhi explosion. This network, operating under the guise of their professional lives, was responsible for assembling nearly 2,900 kilograms of IED-making material seized in a major raid in Faridabad.

The bust of his associates—and the massive explosives cache—is believed to have triggered Dr Umar’s final, panicked action. With law enforcement closing in and his network exposed, the JeM operative allegedly chose to carry out the attack rather than face arrest.

Tracing the Deadly Route: From Faridabad to Red Fort

Investigators have successfully mapped the Hyundai i20’s journey, which began in Haryana.

7:00 AM (Approx.): The white Hyundai i20, bearing registration number HR 26CE 7674, was first captured on CCTV near Asian Hospital in Faridabad.

8:13 AM: Subsequent footage, reportedly from the Badarpur Toll Plaza, shows the suspect, identified as Umar, driving the vehicle as it entered Delhi. Sources indicate that a man wearing a mask was visible in the driver’s seat.

3:19 PM: The car reached the Red Fort vicinity and entered the parking area adjacent to the Sunehri Masjid.

The Three-Hour Standoff in the Parking Lot

The CCTV footage from the parking area has provided the most critical insight into the final hours before the explosion. Delhi Police have confirmed that their analysis of the parking lot footage shows a man—believed to be Umar—sitting inside the vehicle from the moment it entered until it drove out.

Patient Wait: Umar entered the parking zone at 3:19 PM and patiently waited until 6:48 PM—a duration of over three and a half hours.

Lone Occupant: Crucially, police confirmed that Umar did not step out of the vehicle even once during this entire period. This confinement suggests intense preparation, possible last-minute arming of the Ammonium Nitrate Fuel Oil (ANFO) charge, or simply waiting for the peak evening rush hour to maximise casualties.

At 6:48 PM, just four minutes before the blast, the car left the parking area. At 6:52 PM, the vehicle, slowing down near the traffic signal at Subhash Marg near the Red Fort Metro Station, exploded. Forensic teams are now relying on DNA samples collected from Umar’s family in Pulwama to conclusively match body parts recovered from the wreckage and confirm he was the occupant who triggered the deadly blast.

Pathikrit Sen Gupta

Pathikrit Sen Gupta is a Senior Associate Editor with News18.com and likes to cut a long story short. He writes sporadically on Politics, Sports, Global Affairs, Space, Entertainment, And Food. He trawls X via ...Read More

Pathikrit Sen Gupta is a Senior Associate Editor with News18.com and likes to cut a long story short. He writes sporadically on Politics, Sports, Global Affairs, Space, Entertainment, And Food. He trawls X via ...

Read More

News cities The Three-Hour Wait: CCTV Reveals Dr Umar's Chilling Countdown Before Red Fort Blast

Read More