Ahmad Taimur
Srinagar, Nov 22: The State Investigation Agency (SIA) on Saturday detained a man from the Batamaloo locality of Srinagar in connection with the Red Fort blast case, sources said. Six people, including three doctors, have been arrested so far linked to the blast case.
A top official of the SIA said that the man has been detained for questioning as he is linked to the Delhi blast that claimed at least 15 lives and injured many others on November 10 near the iconic Red Fort area.
He said that the questioning of the man, identified as Tufail Niyaz Bhat of Batamaloo’s Diyarwani locality, is underway to ascertain his role in the blast. “More raids and detentions are also expected in the coming days as the investigation into the case is underway,” he added.
Tufail was arrest after crucial leads emerged linking him to the November 10 blast, which, investigators believe, was triggered by a suicide bomber – Dr Umar Mohammad – who was driving the explosive laden car in one of Delhi’s busiest area.
Earlier, reports quoting sources said that Dr Muzamil, one of the six arrested accused who are believed to be the part of the terror module that conspired to trigger the Delhi blast, has told the NIA investigators that he had purchased an AK-47 for Rs 6.5 lakh, which was later recovered from Dr Adil’s lock in GMC Anantnag.
They said that Muzamil also revealed that he along with Dr Adil and Dr Muzaffar went to Turkey in 2022 on the instructions of their handlers and they were supposed to be sent to Afghanistan from there. “After 5-6 days, their expected contact refused to meet and he could not send them to Afghanistan”.
He has also revealed that Dr Umar, who triggered the blast, used to watch bomb-making videos and read related literature online. “He purchased explosive materials from Nuh, while electronic components were bought from Bhagirath Palace and the NIT market in Faridabad,” Muzamil reportedly told the investigators.
It has also been revealed that Dr Umar had purchased a deep freezer, and he was storing chemicals and explosive materials inside it, where a chemical bomb was being prepared.
Muzamil has also revealed that the conspiracy to carry out blasts in Delhi and several other cities was hatched in 2023. “Explosives had been arranged for the blasts over the past two years. For two years, they had been collecting explosives, remotes, and other devices.”
Probed has further revealed that Muzammil was responsible for purchasing ammonium nitrate and urea. “Muzammil bought 26 quintals of NPK fertiliser from Gurugram and Nuh. The responsibility of converting this fertiliser into explosives was given to Dr Umar. He was also tasked with arranging chemicals, remotes, and devices for the explosions,” it revealed.
It has revealed that Muzammil bought the fertilizer for ₹3 lakh. “They had contributed funds for these things themselves with Muzamil contributing Rs 5lakh, Dr Adil contributing Ra 8 lakh, Dr Muzafar Rs 6 lakh, Dr Umar Rs 2 lakh and Dr Shaheen Shahid contributing Rs 5 lakh. A total of Rs 26 lakh in cash was collected and handed over to Dr Umar,” the probe has revealed.
At least 15 persons were killed and many others were injured a blast ripped through an explosive laden car near Delhi’s iconic Red Fort area on November 10.
The blast occurred hours after Jammu and Kashmir police and Faridabad police busted a doctors’ module and recovered 2,900 kg of ammonium nitrate along with other arms and ammunition on their revelation. So far, six persons, including Dr Muzamil, Dr Shaheen, Dr Adil, Molvi Irfan, Amir Ali and Jasir Bilal, have been arrested so far in connection with the Delhi blast case.
As already reported, Mufti Irfan Ahmad Wagay was arrested on 21 October, while Dr Muzammil Shakeel Ganai, Dr Adeel Ahmed Rather and Dr Shaheen Saeed were arrested on October 22 and 23 by the J&K police.
The NIA said that they all had played a key role in the terror attack, with Amir Rashid Ali arrested after probe revealed that the car used in the blast was registered in his name, while Jasir Bilal Wani alias Danish had provided technical support to the suicide bomber.
The investigation of case was handed over to the NIA by the Home Ministry, soon after the attack. The Anti-Terror Agency has said it is working closely with various state police forces to track and arrest every member of the terrorist module involved in the carnage.
