Red Fort blast trail: DNA match, charred limb and a lone shoe confirm Umar was at the wheel

Investigators have pieced together a conclusive forensic trail establishing that Umar Nabi was driving the Hyundai i20 that exploded near Delhi’s Red Fort on November 10 — a breakthrough built on a charred limb, a single black sports shoe and critical DNA matches.

According to officials, the explosion shredded the vehicle so violently that only the front portion of the bonnet, a tyre and part of the gear lever remained intact. Amid the mangled debris, forensic teams found the lower portion of a leg on the driver’s side.

The remains were sent for DNA analysis, and on Wednesday, experts at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) confirmed a match with a sample collected from Umar’s mother.

Another vital clue came from a black sports shoe lying beside the wreckage. Investigators say the shoe matches the one Umar was seen wearing in CCTV footage from multiple locations in Delhi as he moved toward the Red Fort earlier that day.

“These findings are scientifically irrefutable and establish that Umar was driving the car at the moment of the blast — a crucial link in proving his direct involvement,” a senior official said.

The explosion had flung parts of the car over more than 100 metres and scattered human remains across a radius exceeding 150 metres. Police and forensic teams recovered and catalogued each fragment, later preserving them at a mortuary.

A broken number plate helped identify the vehicle, while torn pieces of a shirt recovered from the site matched the colour and pattern of the one Umar was seen wearing on CCTV.

All collected remains and material evidence have been preserved, officials added, forming the backbone of the investigation’s forensic narrative.