Red Fort blast case: Haryana woman doctor Priyanka detained in Anantnag released after questioning, was asked about accused Dr Adeel, who was her senior

Haryana doctor detained in Anantnag
Red Fort blast leads to detention of Haryana doctor in Kashmir (Image via The Hindu)

A woman doctor from Haryana, currently posted at a government medical college in south Kashmir, was detained for questioning on November 16 after the police claimed to have found links to a “white-collar” terror network. Officials say this network stretches across Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana and even New Delhi. The detained doctor has been identified as Dr Priyanka Sharma from Rohtak district in Haryana, who has been working at GMC Anantnag.

According to a report by India Today, counter-intelligence teams raided a rented accommodation in Anantnag’s Malaknag area and picked her up for questioning. The police have taken her mobile phone and a SIM card. Both have now been sent for forensic examination.

However, it was clarified that the woman doctor was released after questioning and was not arrested. Her family informed media that she was had called them on the same night to inform them that she had been released after questioning. Dr Adeel, an accused in the terror module case, was reportedly Priyanka’s senior in college. Priyanka was reportedly asked for information regarding Dr Adeel.

Her name came up during the interrogation of Adeel, a former GMC Anantnag employee who was arrested earlier. His questioning led officers to several people who may have provided financial or logistical support to the suspected terror module. Call records eventually pointed investigators to Dr Sharma’s address. A team from Haryana is expected to reach Anantnag soon to verify her background.

UP police scan colleges with Kashmiri students

The leads coming from Kashmir have triggered a parallel investigation in Uttar Pradesh. Around 200 Kashmiri-origin medical students and doctors studying or working in UP are now on the radar. The Anti-Terrorism Squad has contacted several colleges and universities, especially in cities such as Kanpur, Lucknow, Meerut and Saharanpur, for details of Kashmiri students enrolled there.

Linked to probe into Red Fort blast

The detention also comes at a time when Delhi Police and central agencies are probing the Red Fort blast, which happened on Monday, 10th November,  that killed 13 people. As part of the investigation, Delhi Police arrested three men, including two doctors from Al-Falah University in Haryana, during coordinated raids in Dhauj, Nuh and nearby areas.

The university itself is under legal scrutiny. Delhi Police’s Crime Branch has filed two FIRs for cheating and forgery after the UGC and NAAC flagged serious irregularities in the university’s functioning. On Saturday (15th November), police also visited the university’s Okhla office in Delhi to collect details of people under investigation.

Two doctors linked to blast suspect

The two detained doctors, Mohammad and Mustakim, reportedly knew Umar Nabi, the driver of the Hyundai i20 car that exploded near the Red Fort. Both were in contact with Dr Muzammil Ganaie, who is already under arrest in the “white-collar” module case. According to officials, one of the two doctors was in Delhi on the day of the blast for an AIIMS interview.

Police have also detained Dinesh alias Dabbu in Haryana for illegally selling fertilisers. Investigators believe the group had pooled around ₹26 lakh to buy explosive materials and spent about ₹3 lakh on NPK fertiliser. Police are checking whether Dinesh supplied the fertiliser and if his business involved more illegal sales.

Faridabad Police say they have checked over 140 mosques, 1,700 tenants, 40 fertiliser shops, 200 guesthouses and more than 500 people from Jammu and Kashmir as part of a massive verification drive.

The initial UAPA case filed by Delhi Police has now been handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is examining the larger conspiracy behind the alleged terror network.

Written by OpIndia Staff
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