New Delhi, Nov 12: The blast near Delhi’s Red Fort has been traced back to posters discovered in Srinagar last month, which led to an FIR on October 19, a senior security source said.
The posters were found in an area under the Naugaum police post in Srinagar, following which an investigation began. Between October 20 and 27, police arrested Maulvi Irfan Ahmed Waghe from Shopian and Zameer Ahmed from Wakura, Ganderbal, in connection with the case.
According to the source, the investigation widened with the arrest of Dr Adeel from Saharanpur on November 5, followed by the seizure of an AK-56 rifle and ammunition from Anantnag hospital on November 7. Two days later, on November 8, more weapons, pistols, and gunpowder were recovered from Al-Falah Medical College in Faridabad, Haryana.
Interrogations of the suspects revealed more names linked to the network, leading to the arrest of Dr Muzammil from the same medical college. Subsequent raids uncovered large quantities of weapons and explosive material.
On November 9, a man identified as Madrasi from Dhauj, Faridabad, was arrested. The next day, security forces seized 2,563 kg of explosives from the residence of Hafiz Mohammad Ishtiaq, an Imam at Al-Falah Mosque in Dhera Colony, Faridabad.
In total, around 3,000 kg of explosives, along with detonators, timers, and other bomb-making materials, were recovered from different locations linked to the group.
Sources said Dr Umar, who worked at Al-Falah Medical College and was part of the same module, had been changing his location frequently to evade authorities. He was reportedly driving the car that exploded near the Red Fort on Monday — a claim supported by CCTV footage.
The explosion is believed to have been caused by the same type of material seized earlier in Faridabad. Whether the blast was accidental or planned is still under investigation.
The source added that a major tragedy was averted due to the timely recovery of a massive cache of explosives in Faridabad. Dr Umar may have panicked as the security crackdown intensified, which possibly led to the fatal explosion.
The source further said that by swiftly dismantling the Jaish-e-Mohammad-linked module behind the Red Fort blast, Indian agencies have dealt a strong blow to terrorism.
