National Investigation Agency (NIA) sleuths.
Credit: PTI Photo
Srinagar: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) conducted searches on Friday in south Kashmir’s Shopian and adjacent Pulwama districts in connection with the November 10, 2025 car explosion near Delhi’s Red Fort, officials said.
The operation forms part of an ongoing investigation into what security agencies have described as a sophisticated “white-collar terror module” behind one of the deadliest attacks in the national capital in recent years.
Reports said the anti-terror probe agency brought the ninth accused in the case, Yasir Ahmad Dar, to the search sites after being taken from his custody in Delhi, officials said.
Dar, a resident of Shopian, was arrested by the NIA on December 18, 2025 and is being interrogated in connection with the blast that killed at least 11 people and injured dozens.
Investigators said he was in close contact with other key suspects, including suicide bomber Dr Umar‑un‑Nabi and cleric Mufti Irfan, and had an “active role” in the conspiracy.
Teams searched multiple locations around Padpawan in Shopian and Pampore in Pulwama based on leads provided by Dar, an official said, although details of any recoveries remain undisclosed. J&K police and CRPF personnel assisted the agency in the operation.
The Red Fort blast investigation has uncovered a “white-collar terror module” allegedly involving highly educated individuals, including doctors, clerics and professionals linked to banned extremist groups such as Jaish‑e‑Mohammed (JeM).
Authorities say the network operated across Jammu & Kashmir, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, with a presence at Al‑Falah University in Faridabad, where several accused worked and where probes have extended to financial irregularities and alleged terror links.
Before Dar’s arrest, the NIA had apprehended eight other suspects, including doctors Muzammil Shakeel Ganai, Adeel Ahmed Rather and Shaheen Saeed, religious preacher Mufti Irfan, and others tied to logistics, explosives storage and planning. Investigators recovered large quantities of explosives and bomb making materials during earlier multi‑state raids linked to the probe.
The blast involved a Hyundai i20 car laden with ammonium nitrate and other explosive components, which detonated near Gate No.1 of the Red Fort metro station in Delhi during evening rush hours. Preliminary findings by police termed it a possible suicide attack, and DNA evidence linked Dr Umar to the vehicle.
The NIA has also sought custody extensions for key suspects to aid interrogation as it builds a charge sheet under stringent anti‑terror laws. The probe continues with coordinated efforts between central and state agencies.