Investigators probing the recent blast near Delhi’s Red Fort are now looking into what they describe as a “white-collar terror network” stretching from Kashmir to the national capital. In a major development, agencies have detained a woman doctor from Haryana who was working at a government medical college in south Kashmir.
Dr Priyanka Sharma was taken into custody in Anantnag for questioning. Police sources said the Counter Intelligence unit searched her rented accommodation and seized her mobile phone and SIM card for forensic examination. “Her name came up during the questioning of a former medical college employee,” an officer said, referring to Adeel, who previously worked at the Government Medical College in Anantnag. According to investigators, Adeel’s interrogation pointed to people who may have provided financial or logistical support to the group.
The investigation has widened significantly. The Anti Terrorism Squad in Uttar Pradesh is now checking the backgrounds of nearly two hundred medical students and doctors of Kashmiri origin studying or working in cities such as Lucknow, Kanpur, Meerut and Saharanpur. Officials said they have also detained several doctors from Haryana and are questioning students from Al Falah University in Faridabad. “We are following every lead,” an ATS officer said. “Anyone suspected of having links with the group will be examined.”
The blast near the Red Fort took place on November 10 and killed thirteen people. Delhi Police and central agencies have detained two doctors from Al Falah University along with one more suspect during raids in Dhauj, Nuh and nearby areas. Investigators said they have uncovered a money trail of around twenty lakh rupees that they believe was sent through hawala channels. “The funds appear to have come from a Jaish-e-Mohammed handler,” an intelligence source claimed. Agencies named three doctors, Umar, Muzammil and Shaheen, as part of this line of inquiry.
Delhi Police have also confirmed that three cartridges found at the site, two live and one empty, were of nine-millimetre calibre, a type of ammunition normally used by security forces and prohibited for civilian use. “This is an important clue,” a senior officer said. “We are trying to find out how this ammunition reached the suspects and whether it is connected to any organised network.”
The police registered a fresh FIR on Saturday under sections related to criminal conspiracy. Officials said this was done to widen the scope of the investigation as new evidence emerged. Security around the Red Fort has been tightened, and officers said all entry points are being closely monitored. “We are not taking any chances after the blast,” a police official posted in the area said.
