Red Fort Blast: Police Detain Two J&K Doctors

New Delhi: A medical college professor and a cardiology student from Jammu and Kashmir were detained in Uttar Pradesh in connection with the Delhi blast, even as investigators uncovered evidence that an interstate “white-collar terror module” was allegedly planning coordinated attacks in four cities across the country. Investigators said the accused were planning coordinated explosions in four Indian cities. The suspects had allegedly pooled more than Rs 26 lakh, which was handed over to Dr Umar Nabi, believed to be the main executor of the Delhi blast, for operational expenses.

Delhi Police have reconstructed Dr Nabi’s last movements using footage from over 50 CCTV cameras. Umar was driving the explosive-laden car that detonated in Delhi.

Police said the three doctors were in constant touch through the Swiss encrypted app Threema. The suspects allegedly used the platform to plan and coordinate the Red Fort car blast. Unlike regular messaging apps, Threema does not require a phone number or email to register, making users hard to trace, a source said. The app assigns a unique ID not linked to any SIM and offers end-to-end encryption, with the option of running on private servers. Investigators suspect the accused doctors used a private Threema server to communicate securely and avoid detection. They allegedly shared sensitive documents, maps and layouts related to the Delhi blast through this channel.

Investigators have reconstructed Umar’s movements, showing he travelled from Haryana to Delhi via the Delhi–Mumbai Expressway, stopped for food at a roadside dhaba, and spent the night in his car before entering the capital the next morning.

Police sources say his route suggests careful planning and an effort to avoid detection. He left the expressway to reach Firozpur Jhirka in Nuh, stayed at a dhaba overnight, and kept to highways and small eateries, appearing cautious but not panicked.

CCTV footage indicates Umar avoided major arterial roads, instead taking a zigzag path through crowded areas, likely to evade surveillance or observe crowd patterns. Cameras captured him across Southeast, East, New Delhi, Central and Northwest Delhi. Around midday, he stopped at a roadside eatery in Ashok Vihar, appearing calm as he ordered food.

Footage from Monday morning shows him driving slowly toward Delhi, stopping once for tea and once to check his phone.

Police said Umar re-entered Delhi the next morning through the Badarpur border, using the same route from Faridabad. “His movements show careful planning, including his entry and exit routes,” a police source said.

Route-mapping shows Umar, driving a white car, entered Delhi around 8.13 am and made several loops across the city between 8 am and 3 pm before parking near Red Fort at 3.19 pm.

“He left Faridabad around 7.30 am, crossed the Badarpur toll soon after, moved through Okhla, the industrial belt, Connaught Place, then East and Central Delhi,” the source said.

He then drove back to central Delhi, visited a mosque near Asaf Ali Road, and remained there for nearly three hours. Police are analysing his phone activity during this time, suspecting he may have received instructions.

At 3.19 pm, Umar parked near the Red Fort complex, where the car remained for three hours. Around 6.22 pm, the vehicle exited the parking area toward Red Fort Metro Station. At 6:52 pm, it exploded, shattering windows, scattering debris and triggering panic among visitors and commuters.

Dr Farukh, an assistant professor of obstetrics at Hapur’s GS Medical College and an alumnus of Al Falah University, was detained by Delhi Police from the college campus on Wednesday night.

In Kanpur, 32-year-old Mohammad Arif Mir, a first-year DM (Cardiology) student at GSVM Medical College, was detained by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS). The ATS later searched his rented accommodation in Ashok Nagar, seizing his laptop and mobile phone before taking him to Delhi for questioning.

Arif, a native of Khagur Sadiwara in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir, came under scrutiny following the arrest of former GSVM professor Dr Shaheen Sayeed, a key accused in the module.

The group reportedly purchased around 26 quintals of NPK fertiliser worth nearly ₹3 lakh from suppliers in Gurugram, Nuh, and nearby towns. Mixed with other chemicals, the fertiliser is commonly used in making IEDs.

Notebooks recovered from Dr Muzammil Ahmad Ganaie’s Room No. 13 and Dr Umar’s Room No. 4 at the Al Falah University campus carried coded entries, names, and numerical sequences dated November 8-12, pointing to detailed planning. They had also rented off-campus accommodations to store explosives.

Investigators said the documents contained the repeated use of the word “operation,” suggesting a high degree of organisation. References to 25-30 individuals, mostly from Jammu and Kashmir, Faridabad, and surrounding areas, indicated the wide network of what officials are calling a “white-coat terror module.”

Meanwhile, a severed hand was found on the roof of a shop near the Red Fort blast site on Thursday morning, police said.

The hand was found a few metres away from the spot of the explosion, behind the Jain Temple, they said.

After being informed about the severed hand, police personnel immediately reached the location, cordoned off the area and collected it.