NEW DELHI: Investigators probing the Red Fort car blast and the wider Faridabad terror module have uncovered a tightly organised network marked by encrypted communication, coordinated weapons movement and a complex financial trail. Central to the module was Dr Umar Muhammad, the driver of the i20 that exploded near the Red Fort, killing at least 13 on November 10. Nearly three months before the attack, Umar created an encrypted Signal group-titled with special characters to evade detection-and added key operatives, including Muzammil, Adil Rather, Muzaffar Rather and Maulvi Irfan Ahmad Waghe. This closed channel became the hub of internal planning.
Evidence from recovered firearms points to a structured hierarchy. Umar had procured an assault rifle and a pistol in 2024 and handed them to Irfan, who, investigators say, also recruited Kashmiri youths Arif Nisar Dar alias Sahil and Yasir ul Ashraf into the module. Visits by Adil, Umar, Muzammil and Dr Shaheen Shahid to Irfan's residence across late 2023 reveal systematic handling and rotation of weapons.
Parallel to the operational probe, agencies are tracing a Rs 20 lakh recruitment fund routed through hawala to Shaheen, who operated seven bank accounts across Delhi, Lucknow and Kanpur. She is believed to have been tasked with recruitment after being radicalised years earlier through a contact abroad and later guided by Irfan. Her ability to draw in professionals, particularly doctors-including bomber Umar Nabi and Dr Muzammil Ahmad Ganaie-elevated her importance within the organisation. The money's origins remain unclear, though investigators suspect links to Jammu and Kashmir, Gulf countries or Turkey.
A 2022 trip to Turkey by module members has emerged as critical. There, they allegedly met handler Abu Ukasha, believed to be a Pakistan-based intermediary relocated to Turkey. He is suspected to have instructed them to execute the December 6, 2022 blast, a plot delayed repeatedly. The module also purchased 2,600 kg of ammonium nitrate for Rs 3 lakh, now under ED and NIA scrutiny.
The NIA is separately investigating the role of Amir Rashid Ali, who allegedly arranged a safe house for suicide bomber Umar Un Nabi and helped prepare the IED used in the Red Fort blast. Arrested recently, he has been remanded to 10 days' NIA custody for further questioning in Jammu and Kashmir.
With multiple agencies involved, officials say the money trail is now the probe's centrepiece, potentially exposing broader Jaish-e-Mohammad plans to replicate the Faridabad network across India. (IANS)
Also Read: Red Fort blast: Gujarat DGP holds meeting on anti-terror preparedness