NEW DELHI: The ongoing investigation into the recent high-intensity car blast near Delhi’s Red Fort, which authorities suspect was intended as a major terror attack, has broadened significantly, leading to the unmasking of an alleged sophisticated, cross-state “white-collar” terror module. The Jammu and Kashmir Police have reportedly sought the assistance of Interpol to trace a key suspect, Dr. Muzaffar Ahmad (or similar name/alias), who is believed to be hiding in Afghanistan.
The probe, initiated by the J&K police and now involving multiple central and state agencies including the National Investigation Agency (NIA), has focused heavily on the Al-Falah University in Faridabad, Haryana, where several radicalised medical professionals were employed.
Key Developments in the Probe:
- Suspects on the Run and Under Arrest:
- One of the central figures, identified as Dr. Umar Un Nabi (also a doctor/medical professional from Pulwama and linked to Al-Falah University), is suspected to have been the suicide bomber driving the IED-laden vehicle that exploded near the Red Fort. DNA analysis is underway to confirm his identity. CCTV footage reportedly showed him near a mosque for several hours and moving around 50 locations in Delhi prior to the blast.
- Dr. Muzammil Ahmad Ganaie, another key doctor from Pulwama who taught at Al-Falah University, was arrested in Faridabad. His interrogation led to the discovery of a massive cache of bomb-making materials, including over 2,900 kilograms of explosives (suspected to be Ammonium Nitrate) and sophisticated weapons, stored across several locations, including the university premises.
- Dr. Shaheen Sayeed from Lucknow, also a doctor and close associate of Dr. Muzammil, was arrested after an assault rifle was seized from her car. She is suspected of using her position for logistics and establishing a base for the terror module.
- Multiple other doctors and a cleric (Maulvi Irfan Ahmad Wagah) from J&K, Haryana, and UP have also been detained or arrested, forming a network allegedly linked to the Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM).
- Financial and Institutional Nexus Under Scanner:
- The investigation has cast a long shadow over the administration of Al-Falah University. The Managing Trustee, Javed Ahmed Siddiqui, is reportedly a director in nine different companies operating under names like ‘Al-Falah Investment,’ ‘Al-Falah Software,’ and ‘Al-Falah Education Service’—an organization whose name, ‘Al-Falah,’ ironically translates to ‘The Success, Prosperity, and Welfare.’
- Siddiqui is also being probed in connection with a two-decade-old investment fraud case where he and his brother were accused of misappropriating ₹7.5 crore. The widening scope of the terror probe has now led authorities to investigate the funding and operations of these associated companies, moving the case into a new dimension of potential terror financing.
- The Original Plot:
- Sources indicate the terror module was planning a “spectacular attack” involving multiple Vehicle-Borne IEDs (VBIEDs) and coordinated assault rifle firing on prominent locations in Delhi, with an earlier plot to attack during Republic Day celebrations being delayed due to security. New information suggests the initial terror plan involved a series of six explosions across six different locations in the capital on December 6th—a date believed to have significance for the JeM-linked operatives as a “Babri revenge” plot.
The ease with which the medical professionals allegedly operated under the cover of their respected profession—a “white-collar” terror ecosystem—has become a major point of concern for security agencies, highlighting the challenge of radicalisation across diverse professional fields.
