New Delhi: The Red Fort blast has been traced back to the discovery of posters in Srinagar, which prompted an FIR on October 19, a senior security source said.
The posters were recovered in the Naugaum police post area of Jammu and Kashmir’s summer capital. The ensuing investigation led to a series of arrests — including Maulvi Irfan Ahmed Waghe from Shopian and Zameer Ahmed from Wakura, Ganderbal — between October 20 and 27.
Further leads resulted in the arrest of Dr. Adeel from Saharanpur on November 5, followed by the seizure of an AK-56 rifle and ammunition from Anantnag hospital on November 7. Two days later, security forces recovered additional firearms, pistols, and gunpowder from Al-Falah Medical College in Faridabad, Haryana.
During interrogations, fresh intelligence pointed to more individuals involved in the terror module. Acting on this information, Dr. Muzammil, another suspect from Al-Falah Medical College, was apprehended. A series of coordinated raids led to further arrests and the recovery of a large cache of weapons and explosives.
On November 9, a suspect identified as Madrasi, a resident of Dhauj in Faridabad, was taken into custody. The following day, a massive consignment of explosives weighing 2,563 kg was seized from the home of Hafiz Mohammad Ishtiaq — an Imam at Al-Falah Mosque in Dhera Colony, Faridabad.
In total, security agencies confiscated around 3,000 kg of explosives, detonators, timers, and other bomb-making materials from the network.
According to sources, Dr. Umar — another member of the module and also associated with Al-Falah Medical College — had gone underground as the crackdown intensified. The car that exploded near the Red Fort on Monday was reportedly being driven by Dr. Umar, based on CCTV footage obtained by investigators.
Preliminary findings suggest that the material used in the explosion matches the explosives recovered from Faridabad. Whether the blast was accidental or deliberate remains under investigation.
Officials believe that a major terror attack was thwarted due to the timely recovery of explosives and weapons. “India has responded firmly by dismantling the Jaish-e-Mohammad module linked to the Red Fort explosion,” the security source said.
