Doctors, cleric, businessmen: the transnational ‘white-collar’ terror module of 7 allegedly responsible for Delhi blast

NEW DELHI: Since the Delhi car blast killed atleast 8 people near Red Fort, security forces from different states have arrested 7 people who are allegedly part of a “transnational terror module,” while also seizing thousands of kilograms of explosives, detonators, timers and other bomb-making equipment.

Multiple people were arrested in Haryana’s Faridabad earlier. Later on, some people in Jammu and Kashmir were arrested a few days before the blast took place. According to the police, Dr Umar, who was allegedly driving the car in which the Red Fort explosion occurred was also a member of the module. He allegedly hurried the plans for the blast after the module was busted. He has close ties with two other doctors, also part of the alleged module.

According to security forces, Dr Umar met two other people while he was living in Al-Falah Medical College, Dr Muzammil Ahmad Ganai and Dr Adeel Rather.

Ganai, also known as Musaib, is a resident of Koli in Pulwama, J-K, and is a former student of Al Falah hospital. Police said that they found more than 300 kilograms of explosives from Ganai’s rented home. Meanwhile, Adeel Rather, is a graduate of Srinagar’s Government Medical College in 2018. He was also was a senior resident of Anantnag’s Government Medical College (GMC) from 2022-2024.

While Ganai was one of the first to be arrested out of the 7, following questioning by the police, officials nabbed Rather soon after.

The third member of the alleged module is said to be a cleric, Irfan Ahmad, who is allegedly the Imam of Jammu and Kashmir’s mosque in Shopian. He is allegedly responsible for “radicalising” others and help them join the module.

The fourth member, Arif Nisar Dar is a resident of Nowgam in J-K and is believed to be in contact with the cleric and Dr Ganai.

According to the police, atleast 3 people are residents of Nowgam, while another is from Ganderbal.

Officials have said that Yasir Ul Ashraf, another member, and a resident of Nowgam runs a business in the area, managing his uncle’s shop.

The seventh alleged member, Zameer Ahmad Ahanger also is a resident of Ganderbal and locally known as “Mutlasha.”

According to police, the group of 7 used “encrypted channels for indoctrination, coordination, movement, and logistics.”

The alleged terror module was busted in Haryana’s Faridabad earlier, with police officials questioning students, the principal and faculty members working with Dr Muzammil, with more than 52 people being questioned.

In a major breakthrough on Monday, the Jammu and Kashmir Police, in coordination with the Haryana Police, recovered 360 kg of suspected ammonium nitrate and 2,900 kg of IED-making materials, including chemicals, detonators, and wires, from an apartment in Faridabad. Dr Muzammil and Aadil Rather were arrested in this case.

Following on October 20, 27 and November 5, multiple arrests were made in Shopian, Ganderbal in J-K, and in UP’s Saharanpur. Dr Adil was arrested in Saharanpur, according to sources.

They said two days later, an AK-56 rifle and other ammunition were seized in a Anantnag Hospital and more guns, pistols, and explosives were subsequently recovered from a place in Faridabad.

On November 9, a person named Madrasi, a resident of Dhauj, Faridabad, was arrested from his house. The next day, a massive consignment of explosives, weighing 2,563 kilograms, was recovered from the house of Hafeez Mohammad Ishtiaq, a resident of Mewat and an Imam at Al Falah Mosque in Faridabad’s Dhera Colony.

During these operations, Umar, also part of the module and working as medical practitioner at Al Falah Medical College, changed his location as he was under constant pressure from the security forces, the sources said.

Security agencies and intelligence network successfully “dismantled this Faridabad module”, recovered a large quantity of explosive material and prevented a major conspiracy aimed at causing large-scale damage in the country.

As soon as news of the explosion came on Tuesday, Delhi Police and other security agencies rushed to the site. Home Minister Amit Shah immediately directed NSG, NIA, and forensic teams to reach the location. The injured were promptly taken to the nearest hospital and the ownership of the vehicle used in the blast was confirmed.

The blast probe has since been handed over to the National Investigation Agency. (ANI)