Dr Nabi, a medical professional allegedly at the helm of the operation, purchased a white Hyundai i20 (registration HR 26CE7674) on October 29 from a Faridabad car dealer named Sonu. CCTV footage captured the vehicle at a nearby Pollution Under Control (PUC) booth that same day, before Nabi drove it to the Al-Falah Medical College campus in Faridabad, Haryana, where it remained parked for nearly 11 days beside a car owned by his associate, Dr Mujammil Shakeel.
Shakeel, arrested earlier on November 10 in a joint Jammu and Kashmir-Haryana police operation, was linked to a massive 2,900 kg explosives seizure, including assault rifles and ammunition recovered from a vehicle registered to another suspect, Dr Shaheen Saeed. Sources indicate Nabi's panic escalated after Shakeel's detention alongside Dr Adeel Ahmad Rather, prompting him to abruptly drive the laden car toward Delhi around midday on the day of the blast.
Surveillance videos traced the Hyundai i20's path through central Delhi hotspots, including Connaught Place and Mayur Vihar, before it entered the Sunehri Masjid parking lot in Chandni Chowk at 3:19 p.m. Nabi, visible with his hand on the window, remained inside the vehicle without exiting until approximately 6:30 p.m., when the improvised explosive device (IED) inside detonated prematurely.
Investigators from the NIA and intelligence agencies assess that the device was assembled improperly, limiting its destructive radius and sparing the city from a far graver catastrophe. The accidental nature of the explosion underscores vulnerabilities in such clandestine operations, where rushed improvisation can lead to unintended consequences, as evidenced by prior JeM-linked incidents in India.
The probe has exposed a sophisticated network allegedly orchestrated by handlers abroad, with Saeed—a Lucknow-based doctor—tasked with establishing JeM's women's wing in India, operating covertly until her arrest on November 11.
As forensic teams analyse blast residues and digital footprints, officials emphasise the evolving threat of educated professionals radicalised into terror logistics, with heightened security in Delhi's historic core serving as a stark reminder of JeM's persistent cross-border ambitions.