The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday revealed that the terrorists involved in the Delhi blast had planned to carry out attacks by modifying drones in the national capital ahead of the car bomb blast that claimed 15 lives. This is somewhat similar to what Hamas had done during the October 7 attacks on Israel.
The central probe agency has also arrested Jammu and Kashmir resident Jasir Bilal Wani, who provided technical support to suicide bomber Dr Umar un Nabi to conduct an attack using drones. “The accused… was an active co-conspirator behind the attack and had worked closely with the terrorist, Umar un Nabi, to plan the terror carnage,” the NIA statement read.
Apart from Wani, the NIA has also arrested key accused Amir Rashid Ali, who had allegedly provided logistical support and arranged an house for Nabi. Ali, who has been sent to 10-day NIA custody, is a resident of Pampore in Jammu and Kashmir and he will likely be taken to the Valley for further investigation.
In its investigation, the NIA has also found out that the Hyundai i20 car used in the Delhi blast was registered in Ali’s name, who had travelled to Delhi specifically to facilitate the purchase of the car. The vehicle was subsequently used as a “Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Device (VBIED)” to carry out the attack, the NIA said.
Nabi had known links with a “white-collar” terror module that was recently busted following the recovery of explosives, primarily from Faridabad in Haryana on November 10. Nabi, a 28-year-old doctor from Pulwama, emerged as the most radicalised and key operative in the network spanning Kashmir, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh.
Officials believe he was planning a powerful VBIED blast timed around the Babri Masjid demolition anniversary on December 6. The plot, however, fell apart when a meticulous investigation by Srinagar police resulted in the arrest of Dr Muzammil Ganaie from Al Falah University in Haryana’s Faridabad and the seizure of a huge cache of explosives.
The breakthrough is believed to have triggered panic in Umar, ultimately ending in the blast outside the Red Fort that left 13 people dead. The intricate interstate terror network was exposed after a small but significant incident of JeM posters appearing on the walls in Bunpora, Nowgam, on the outskirts of Srinagar, on October 19.
Srinagar police registered a case and reviewed CCTV camera footage, leading to the arrest of three locals — Arif Nisar Dar alias Sahil, Yasir-ul-Ashraf, and Maqsood Ahmad Dar alias Shahid, all with prior stone-pelting cases against them.
Their interrogation led to the arrest of Maulvi Irfan Ahmad, a former paramedic-turned-Imam from Shopian, who allegedly supplied the posters and used his access to radicalise the doctors.
So far, eight people have been arrested by the Jammu and Kashmir Police in connection with this case. The NIA will now interrogate Ali to uncover the full extent of the conspiracy and his role in the deadly terror plot.
(With PTI inputs)