An armed personnel keeps vigil along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway following the Delhi bomb blast, in Anantnag
Credit: PTI Photo
Srinagar: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested four more “key accused” in the November 10 Red Fort blast, taking the total number of arrests to six as the probe into what officials describe as a “white-collar terror module” widens across Jammu & Kashmir and Uttar Pradesh.
The four—Dr Muzammil Shakeel Ganai of Pulwama, Dr Adeel Ahmed Rather of Anantnag, Dr Shaheen Saeed of Lucknow, and Mufti Irfan Ahmad Wagay of Shopian—were taken into custody in Srinagar on production orders issued by the District Sessions Judge, Patiala House Court, Delhi.
According to the NIA, all of them played significant roles in planning, financing and facilitating the attack that killed several people and left many others injured.
The latest arrests come amid a series of developments that have brought multiple medical professionals under scrutiny. Earlier this month, the recovery of an AK-47 rifle from an unclaimed locker allotted to Dr Adeel at GMC Anantnag triggered checks across hospitals in J&K and deepened concerns about the depth of the module.
Investigators said the arrested accused were involved in coordinating logistics, encrypted communication and ideological motivation for the suicide bomber, Dr Umar Nabi, who had recorded videos rehearsing justifications for the attack.
The NIA had already arrested two other suspects—Amir Rashid Ali, in whose name the vehicle used in the blast was registered, and Jasir Bilal Wani alias Danish, who allegedly provided technical support to the bomber.
Wani’s arrest led to a dramatic turn of events when his father, Bilal Ahmad Wani, set himself ablaze in Qazigund after reportedly being denied permission to meet his detained sons; he later succumbed to his injuries in Srinagar, sparking protests and demands for transparency in the investigation.
The anti-terror agency, which took over the case soon after the attack on the directions of the Union Home Ministry, said that interrogation of all six accused is underway as part of efforts to map out the full conspiracy in case RC-21/2025/NIA/DLI.
Officials said the investigation is now pursuing leads related to funding channels, online radicalisation networks and possible cross-border coordination, adding that more arrests are likely as digital and financial evidence is examined. The NIA is also working with multiple state police units to track support structures and overground facilitators believed to have provided cover and resources to the module.