The Patiala House Court on Thursday sent Dr Muzammil Ganaie, Shaheen Saeed and two others to 10-day custody of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in connection with the deadly explosion near Delhi’s Red Fort on November 10.
Muzammil Ganaie, Adeel Rather, Shaheen Saeed and Maulvi Irfan Ahmed Wagay, a preacher, had earlier been arrested by the Jammu and Kashmir police in connection with a “white-collar terror module". The anti-terror probe agency took them into custody in Srinagar following production orders from the district sessions judge at the Patiala House court here, according to a statement from an NIA spokesperson.
Muzammil, Adeel and Shaheen were employed at Faridabad’s Al-Falah School of Medical Sciences and Research Centre. They are believed to be a part of a white-collar terror module involving the Jaish-e-Mohammed and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, spanning across Kashmir, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh, according to officials.
On November 10, at least eight people were arrested – including the trio – and 2,900 kilograms of explosives were seized in what police described as a “white-collar terror module". Hours after the recovery, a high-intensity blast ripped through a slow-moving white Hyundai i20 car near Delhi’s Red Fort metro station, killing 15 people and injuring dozens.
Dr Umar Nabi, a 28-year-old assistant professor at Haryana’s Al-Falah University, was identified as the suspected suicide attacker in Delhi. Umar, Adeel and Muzammil hail from Jammu and Kashmir. Irfan is also a resident of J&K’s Shopian.
Muzammil Shakeel Ganai
Dr Muzammil, a resident of Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir, was employed at Al-Falah School. The police recovered 360 kg of ammonium nitrate and an additional 2,500 kg of explosive-making chemicals from his residence in Faridabad. During the raid, officers also seized one Carom Cok rifle, two automatic pistols, and 84 cartridges.
Muzammil was allegedly introduced to an ISIS-affiliated group by Maulvi Irfan, and is believed to have procured weapons in 2023 and 2024 as part of preparations for creating an independent terror unit. Investigators also suspect that the duo, along with other members of the broader module, may have planned additional operations targeting high-density civilian areas.
Shaheen Saeed
Dr Shaheen Saeed, a resident of Lucknow, was also working at Al-Falah School. Police said that a Krinkov assault rifle was found in her car, which was allegedly being used by Dr Muzammil. According to top intelligence sources, Shaheen was associated with Dr Umar Mohammad, the suicide bomber in the Red Fort blast case.
Sources told media that Shaheen was radicalised in a Jaish-e-Mohammed drive to set up a women’s brigade for psychological warfare in India. According to sources, Shaheen was overseeing women recruitments for Jaish in India.
Adeel Ahmad Rather
Adeel Ahmad Rather hails from Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir and was working as a teacher at the Al-Falah School of Medical Sciences & Research Centre in Faridabad. He was arrested in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, for allegedly putting up posters in support of the terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed in Srinagar.
Maulvi Irfan Ahmed Wagay
Hailing from J&K’s Shopian, Wagay worked as a paramedical staffer at GMC Srinagar and as a preacher at Nowgam’s local mosques, where he allegedly radicalised medical students. Muzammil was allegedly introduced to the extremist network by Wagay.
The investigation started on October 18-19, when posters of the banned JeM surfaced on walls just outside Srinagar city, warning of attacks on police and security forces. Three people — Arif Nisar Dar alias Sahil, Yasir-ul-Ashraf and Maqsood Ahmad Dar alias Shahid — were arrested after CCTV footage showed them pasting the posters.
During interrogation, they named Wagay as the one who had supplied the posters, after which the latter was arrested. It was his interrogation that finally led investigators to Al Falah University and the group of Kashmiri doctors, according to news agency PTI.
Earlier, the NIA arrested two other accused – Amir Rashid Ali, in whose name the car used in the blast was registered, and Jasir Bilal Wani alias Danish, who had provided technical aid to the terrorist involved in the deadly attack. They are currently being interrogated.
“The anti-terror agency, which was handed over the investigation by the Union Home Ministry, Government of India, soon after the attack, is working closely with various state police forces to track and arrest every member of the terrorist module involved in the carnage," said the NIA in its statement.
