Hours before the deadly explosion at the Red Fort in Delhi on 10th November, which left at least a dozen people dead and over two dozen people injured, the Jammu and Kashmir Police, in a joint operation with the Faridabad police, carried out one of the biggest counter-terror operations in the country. The Police busted an inter-state terror module linked with Pakistan-backed terror groups, Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGH).
The Police arrested seven people in connection with the module, including three doctors from Kashmir, and seized a huge cache of arms, ammunition, and 2900 kg of improvised explosive-making material. The arrests were made following coordinated raids in Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
Here are the names and details of the eight suspects arrested by the police in connection with the Faridabad Terror Module:
Dr Muzammil Shakeel Ganaie
Dr Muzammil Ganaie, alias Musaib, was the first suspect to be arrested in connection with the terror module. A native of Koil in Pulwama, Ganai taught at the Al Falah Hospital in Faridabad. Police seized 358 kg of explosives from his rented home in Faridabad’s Dhauj village. Both Ganai and Dr Umar Nabi, who carried out the explosion at the Red Fort, are residents of the same village.
Dr Adeel Rather
Ganai’s arrest and interrogation led to the arrest of Dr Adeel Rather, the second suspect. Rather, a resident of Kulgam, completed his MBBS from the Government Medical College, Srinagar, in 2018. He received his MD degree in General Medicine in 2022. He worked as a senior resident at GMC Anantnag from October 2022 to October 2024. Rather was arrested in Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur.
Maulvi Irfan Ahmad Wagay
Maulvi Irfan Ahmad, also known as Imam Irfan, is a cleric from Shopian in Kashmir. He is the imam of a mosque in Jammu and Kashmir’s Shopian. According to police, Ahmad is believed to be the one who radicalised others and expanded the terror module.
Arif Nisar Dar
Arif Nisar Dar is a resident of Nowgam in Srinagar. Dar is believed to have been in contact with Irfan Ahmad and Muzamil Ganai.
Yasir-ul-Ashraf
Yasir-ul-Ashraf, alias Sahil, is a resident of the same locality as Dar and runs a business. Ashraf is said to have been working at his uncle’s shop in Nowgam.
Maqsood Ahmad Dar
Maqsood Ahmad Dar, alias Shahid, is a native of Nowgam, Anantnag and worked as an accountant at a local iron and steel shop.
Zameer Ahmad Ahanger
Zameer Ahmad Ahanger, alias Mutlasha, comes from Wakura in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal. Ahanger is unemployed.
Dr Shaheen Shahid
Dr Shaheen Shahid, from Lal Bagh, Lucknow, was arrested after an assault rifle was discovered in her vehicle. She is said to have been leading the operations of Jamaat ul-Mominaat, the women’s wing of the Jaish-e-Mohammed in India and recruiting new members. Reports have indicated that Shaheen might be taking orders from Sadia Azhar, who heads the outfit in Pakistan. Azhar is the sister of the JeM founder Muhammad Masood Azhar Alvi, alias Masood Azhar. Shaheen is a member of Al-Falah University and had a close relationship with Dr Muzammil Shakeel (Muzammil Ganaie).
Ninth member of the terror module who triggered the Red Fort blast
Apart from the eight suspects captured by the police, a ninth individual named Dr Umar Nabi, also a resident of Koil village in Pulwama, was also found linked with the terror module. After the arrest of other members of the terror module by authorities, Dr Umar Nabi, who was driving a Hyundai i20 loaded with ammonium nitrate fuel oil, panicked and triggered an explosion in the Red Fort area, as per reports.
The investigation into the terror module started on 19th October after multiple JeM posters, threatening and intimidating police and security forces, were found pasted at several locations in Bunpora, Nowgam. According to police, the suspects are part of a “white-collar terror network”, including educated individuals and professionals engaged in terrorist activities.
