The investigation into the suspicious note found at Rajarshi Dasharath Medical College in Ayodhya has now expanded to Balrampur, where a team of Ayodhya Police questioned the family members of paramedical student Sarfaraz. The police are examining every aspect of the case and say no conclusion will be drawn until the investigation is complete.
First-year paramedical student Sarfaraz was detained after a handwritten note containing information related to bomb-making was found in the X-ray department of Rajarshi Dashrath Autonomous State Medical College in Ayodhya. The note was recovered after the night shift, and police were informed after the staff handed over the note to the administration.
Police visit Sarfaraz’s home
Late on Friday evening, 31st July, an Ayodhya Police team reached Sarfaraz’s ancestral home in Purainia Talab under the City Kotwali area of Balrampur. Officers spoke with his family and also tried to gather information from nearby residents. When a Zee Media team visited the house the next day, it was found locked. Most people in the neighbourhood did not want to speak on camera because of the sensitive nature of the case.
One local resident, who requested not to be named, said Sarfaraz was friendly and had never been involved in any dispute in the locality.
Landlord’s statement brings fresh questions
During the investigation, the Zee News team visited the rented room where Sarfaraz had been staying for the past six months. A saffron kurta with “Jai Shri Ram” written on it and a yellow dhoti were recovered from the room.
In an exclusive conversation with Zee News, the landlord claimed that Sarfaraz had visited Ayodhya several times wearing the saffron kurta and yellow dhoti. He also said Sarfaraz had taken a bath in the Saryu River with a few other people. However, the landlord said he did not know who those people were or where they had come from.
Following these claims, police are trying to find out why Sarfaraz chose to wear Hindu religious clothing and whether those visits were connected to a larger plan or simply personal visits. The yellow dhoti has been taken into police custody for examination. Investigators also recovered a handwritten poem from the room, which is now being examined.
How the case began
The matter came to light on the morning of 1st August, when students of the morning shift found a handwritten paper inside the X-ray room of Rajarshi Dasharath Medical College. The note contained instructions related to bomb-making. Students immediately informed the college authorities, who then alerted the police.
According to the copy of the note available online, the seized handwritten notes appear to contain descriptions relating to the construction and operation of an improvised explosive device. The notes mention several chemical substances like ammonium nitrate, potassium nitrate, aluminium carbonate, red phosphorus, sulfur, nitric acid, and carbolic acid. It also has references to ignition, heat and explosion, and feature hand-drawn diagrams resembling an explosive device with labelled components.
The document also contains explanatory annotations and a rough graph, suggesting it was intended to describe the purported functioning of the device. It appears that the note was made based on online sources, as no movie will have such detailed guidelines for making IEDs.
Darshan Nagar Police detained Sarfaraz for questioning. One of his colleagues, Abhishek, who had worked the night shift with him, was also taken in for questioning. Another colleague, Subhash from Sultanpur, had already left for his village earlier that morning.
Teams from the Special Operations Group (SOG), Special Task Force (STF), Special Branch and the Intelligence Bureau (IB) also joined the investigation.
What police found during investigation
During the initial investigation, Sarfaraz told investigators that he was unable to sleep during his night shift and had started watching a film on Bhagat Singh on his laptop. According to him, the film showed bomb-making techniques, which he wrote down on a piece of paper before falling asleep. He said the paper was later found by sanitation workers and morning-shift staff.
However, police later examined his mobile phone and found internet searches related to bomb-making. Investigators also found several Instagram reels connected to bomb-making and explosions on his account. Police are now checking whether these searches were done out of curiosity or if there was another reason behind them.
Roommate and friends under scanner
Police have also started searching for Sarfaraz’s roommate, who had been away at his home in Basti for about a week. Investigators are also trying to identify the friends who reportedly accompanied him during his visits to Ayodhya.
According to local residents, Sarfaraz is the youngest among four brothers and two sisters. His eldest brother works in a private company in Balrampur, the second runs a dental clinic in Shravasti, and the third works in Saudi Arabia and supports the family financially. His father died around one-and-a-half years ago. His mother and unmarried sister live in Balrampur, while his married sister lives in Mumbai. Neighbours said Sarfaraz usually returned home almost every Saturday and went back to Ayodhya on Mondays.
Officials said the investigation is still underway, and every fact is being verified. Police have appealed to people not to speculate until the probe is completed.
