NEW DELHI: The powerful explosion near Delhi’s Red Fort, which killed at least 12 people and injured several others, was allegedly orchestrated by Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) under the directions of its UN-designated chief Maulana Masood Azhar, according to a senior Intelligence Bureau officer.
Investigators said the Pakistan-based group had cultivated a network of radicalised doctors to plan Pulwama-style, vehicle-borne suicide attacks in the national capital.
Officials said the Delhi blast bore similarities to the 2006 Mumbai train bombings, where locally radicalised individuals were used to execute coordinated strikes that led to the death of 209 people.
The explosion was triggered by an IED planted in a white Hyundai i20, intended for a larger attack. The driver, suspected to be Dr. Umar Mohammad Nabi, was part of a “white-collar” terror module comprising doctors allegedly linked to JeM operatives in Kashmir.
The network was uncovered during an investigation into JeM posters that appeared on the outskirts of Srinagar. Through technical surveillance, police teams from Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana, aided by central agencies, conducted multi-state raids.
A breakthrough came with the arrest of Dr. Muzammil Ahmad Ganai (35) from Faridabad. A native of Pulwama and employee of Al Falah Hospital, Ganai allegedly possessed 2,900 kg of explosives, suspected to be ammonium nitrate, along with arms and ammunition seized from two rented houses. His interrogation led to the arrests of Dr. Adeel Majeed Rather, from Kulgam, and Dr. Shaheen Sayeed, a Lucknow-based medical professional associated with Al Falah University.
Investigators claimed Sayeed was helping set up Jamaat-ul-Mominat, a women’s recruitment wing of JeM aimed at inducting educated professionals. An assault rifle was recovered from her vehicle before she was flown to Srinagar for interrogation.
Police suspect Dr. Umar Mohammad, also from Pulwama and affiliated with Al Falah University’s medical faculty, was behind the wheel of the IED-laden car. DNA tests are underway to confirm his identity.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has now taken over the probe. Delhi Police’s Special Cell and central agencies have traced the vehicle’s 11-hour route from Faridabad to Red Fort, where it was parked for nearly three hours before the 6:52 p.m. explosion.
Officials said the intended target could have been anywhere in central Delhi, indicating a larger strike was being planned.
