NIA Secures Custody of 3 Kashmiri Doctors, Cleric

Srinagar: To advance the probe into the deadly November 10 suicide car bombing near Delhi's Red Fort, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday secured custody of two Kashmiri doctors and Lucknow-based surgeon and one Islamic cleric who had been arrested earlier by Jammu and Kashmir Police in connection with a sophisticated "white-collar terror module".

A spokesperson said the four accused were taken into custody by NIA in Srinagar, on production orders from the District Sessions Judge, Patiala House Court. They have been identified as Dr Muzammil Shakeel Ganai of Pulwama, Dr Adeel Ahmed Rather of Anantnag, Dr Shaheen Saeed of Lucknow and Mufti Irfan Ahmad Wagay of Shopian.

This brings the total number of arrests in the case to six as the agency intensifies efforts to dismantle a sophisticated terror ecosystem, allegedly tied to the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) militant group.

Earlier this week, the NIA had arrested Jasir Bilal Wani alias Danish, a resident of Qazigund in Anantnag district of J&K. Jasir, described as a close associate of the main accused Dr Muhammad Umar Nabi – the Kashmiri doctor who drove the explosive-laden vehicle – was picked up from Srinagar by an NIA team operating under case RC-21/2025/NIA/DLI.

According to the agency, Jasir provided critical technical assistance to the terror module by modifying drones for weaponised use and attempting to fabricate rockets in the run-up to the attack, which claimed 13 lives and injured 20 others. Officials said that investigators have established that Jasir was an active co-conspirator who worked closely with Dr. Umar Nabi in planning and preparing for the suicide bombing.

Earlier, the NIA had arrested another Kashmiri resident, Amir Rashid Ali, who is accused of arranging safe houses and providing logistical support to Dr Umar Nabi ahead of the attack and in whose name the car used in the terror act was registered.

The NIA said that, moving expeditiously with its probe in the case, it has, after making fresh arrests, continued the interrogation of the accused as part of the effort to unravel the complete terror conspiracy in the case. The agency which was handed over the investigation by the Home Ministry, soon after the attack, said that it is working closely with various state police forces including J&K, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi to track and arrest every member of the terrorist module involved in the carnage.

Ganai, as per the officials of the J&K CID and Counter-Intelligence Kashmir (CIK), the premier investigative arm of the J&K Police, is a key figure in the “white-color” network blending professional respectability with radicalism, who was previously associated with Al-Falah University in Faridabad, Haryana. They said that doctors Rather and Saeed-also known as Shaheen Shahid or ‘Madam Surgeon’- were linked to the same university network. Mufti Irfan is alleged to have played a pivotal role in radicalisation.

Last Friday, a massive accidental explosion at Srinagar 's Nowgam Police Station, killed nine people and injured 32 others. The blast occurred when a stockpile of seized explosives from the terror module detonated inside the station. Nowgam Police Station had been central to dismantling the module. The investigation began after JeM posters appeared in the area, threatening attacks on security forces and “outsiders” in Kashmir. CCTV footage from October 27 led to the arrest of Dr. Rather, a former Government Medical College Anantnag employee now in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh. An assault rifle was recovered from his locker.

Interrogation revealed links to Dr. Ganaie at Al-Falah Medical College, Faridabad, followed by Dr. Saeed. That same evening, a car bomb exploded near Delhi's Red Fort, killing 13 and injuring over 20. The NIA identified Dr. Muhammad Umar Nabi as the driver of the Hyundai i20 used in the attack, with DNA from the site matching samples from his mother in Kashmir Valley’s southern Pulwama district. In retaliation, security forces demolished Nabi's family house in a controlled operation in Pulwama's Koil area last week.

The conspiracy links JeM with al-Qaeda-affiliated Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGuH), using doctors, academics, and imams—such as arrested mosque imam Moulvi Irfan —to launder funds and procure arms under legitimate cover, officials said.

NIA investigations, so far, indicate that these highly educated professionals – including doctors and a cleric – formed the core of an insidious terror module. Operating under the guise of respectable careers, they allegedly radicalised youth through online platforms, stockpiled explosives -primarily ammonium nitrate- procured funds, and planned advanced attacks. Many were connected through Al-Falah University, where the suicide bomber, Dr. Nabi, an assistant professor, was employed. Ongoing raids continue to trace remaining module members.

Meanwhile, J&K Police on Thursday dismissed social media speculation surrounding the Nowgam Police Station accidental blast, reiterating that it occurred during forensic sampling of a large cache of seized explosives – primarily ammonium nitrate – recovered from raids in Faridabad linked to the same “white-collar” terror module under investigation.

Authorities stressed the incident was purely accidental due to the unstable nature of the materials, handled by a Forensic Science Laboratory team in an open area. It said that a high-level committee, chaired by the Principal Secretary (Home) and comprising the Inspector General of Police (Kashmir Zone), Srinagar District Magistrate, and a senior Central Forensic Science Laboratory scientist, was formed on November 16 to investigate any procedural lapses.

Police urged the public to avoid unverified information and rely on official channels, noting that misinformation could hamper counter-terror efforts.