8 locations simultaneously raided as Red Fort blast probe takes NIA investigators to Kashmir

Sources said that early Monday morning, NIA investigators conducted simultaneous searches across different parts of South Kashmir.

Separate teams of the central investigation agency raided the house of Dr Adeel Ahmad Rather in south Kashmir’s Kulgam and Dr Muzamil Shakeel Ganai at Koil village of Pulwama. The central agency also raided the home of cleric Mufti Irfan Ahmad Wagay in Shopian and Amir Rashid at Samboora village of Pulwama.

All four were arrested by the J-K Police in connection with an Ansar Ghazwatul Hind terror module busted by the police last month. The module comprised four doctors, including Dr Umar Nabi, who was driving the car that exploded outside the Red Fort metro station, killing 13 people and wounding 32.

Three of them – Dr Adeel, Dr Muzamil and a Lucknow resident, Dr Shaheen Shahid – were arrested from Faridabad before the Red Fort blast, and police recovered a large quantity of explosive-making material from them, including over 350 kilograms of ammonium nitrate. Amir Rashid was picked up by the police immediately after the blast. The car driven by Dr Umar was his name.

All four accused were later handed over by the J-K police to the NIA, which formally arrested them after taking over the blast case.

The NIA has already arrested six persons in the case, including the three doctors, Amir, Mufti Irfan, and Jasir Bilal, a neighbour of Dr Adeel.

Sources said the searches are meant to “unravel the conspiracy” and to find any material or digital evidence linked to the investigation of the blast.