The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday took custody of three doctors—Muzammil Ganaie, Adeel Rather, and Shaheena Saeed—and a religious preacher, Maulvi Irfan Ahmed Wagay, arrested in connection with the November 10 car blast outside the Red Fort that killed 15 people, officials said.
“They all played a key role in the terror attack that killed several innocent persons and injured many others,” an NIA spokesperson said. With their custody, the number of people booked by the federal agency has risen to six.
The NIA had earlier arrested Amir Rashid Ali and Jasir Bilal Wani, alias Danish. Dr Umar-un-Nabi, who drove the explosives-laden i20 that detonated, allegedly bought the car in Ali’s name. Wani reportedly refused to become a suicide bomber but agreed to act as an overground worker for the banned terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed.
Authorities say the arrested individuals are at the centre of a ‘white-collar’ terror module, uncovered by Jammu and Kashmir police along with counterparts in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. Investigations also led to Al Falah University in Faridabad, where 2,900 kg of explosives were recovered.
