New Delhi: Police and central agencies are investigating the involvement of three Kashmiri doctors in the powerful blast near Delhi’s Red Fort that killed nine people and injured over twenty others on Monday evening. The doctors have been identified as Adeel Ahmad Rather, Muzammil Shakeel, and Umar Mohammad.
Investigators say the arrests of Adeel and Muzammil in Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur and Haryana’s Faridabad led to the recovery of a large quantity of suspected bomb-making material. Nearly 2,900 kilograms of ammonium nitrate, a chemical often used in explosives, was found stored in two rooms in Faridabad. Initial reports suggest that the same material was used in the Red Fort blast.
The explosion took place around 6.52 pm near the traffic signal on Netaji Subhash Marg, between Red Fort and Chandni Chowk. Witnesses said a white Hyundai i20 caught fire after a loud explosion, sending flames into the air. Fifteen fire engines were rushed to the spot and took about thirty minutes to douse the blaze.
Police later traced the vehicle’s registration number, HR26CE7674, and found that it had changed hands several times before reaching Dr. Umar Mohammad. According to investigators, Umar was a close associate of Adeel and was already under scrutiny in a separate case involving terror-related posters in Srinagar. CCTV footage from the scene appears to show Umar inside the car shortly before the explosion. A DNA test will be conducted to confirm his identity.
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Although officials have not yet called the incident a terror attack, police have filed a case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, which is used in terrorism-related investigations. Union Home Minister Amit Shah said all possible angles are being examined, and the National Investigation Agency may take over the case soon.
Investigators are also looking into the possibility that Umar triggered the blast in panic after learning that his associates had been arrested and a large stockpile of explosives had been seized.
The three doctors are believed to be part of what security officials describe as a “white collar terror network.” Adeel had earlier worked at the Government Medical College in Anantnag before moving to Saharanpur, while Muzammil had been employed as a senior resident at Al Falah School of Medical Sciences in Haryana. Another doctor, Shaheen Shahid from Lucknow, was also arrested after weapons were found in her car.
Police say the group used encrypted communication channels for coordination and raised funds through professional and academic contacts, often under the cover of social or charitable causes. They are accused of recruiting individuals, arranging logistics, and procuring materials for making explosives.
Witnesses at the scene described moments of panic after the blast. An auto driver, who was injured and covered in blood, reportedly drove himself to the hospital. Some bystanders initially thought a gas cylinder had exploded. Investigators are still examining the cause of the explosion and the exact sequence of events that led to the tragedy.
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