While security agencies are still piecing together how the powerful blast near Delhi’s Red Fort metro station parking on Monday, which killed 12 people, happened and who all are behind it, the chain of events might go back nearly a month to Srinagar, pointing at the involvement of Jaish-e-Mohammed.
Dr Mohammad Umar, a Kashmiri doctor who was driving the Hyundai i20 car involved in the blast, as shown in the CCTV footage, could be the link between the white-collar terror network of doctors in J&K, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh unearthed by security agencies and the Red Fort blast.
The wriitng on the wall in Srinagar
In mid-October, Srinagar police noticed several posters that carried the insignia and messaging of the banned outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed. The posters threatened renewed attacks on security forces, something not seen frequently since 2019, TOI has reported. SSP G V Sundeep Chakravarthy, known for leading Operation Mahadev in Pahalgam, ordered an inquiry into the matter. CCTV footage in the area helped police identify three local overground workers with a past record of stone-pelting. Their questioning led to the arrest of a cleric from Shopian, Maulvi Irfan Ahmad.
It was during Irfan’s interrogation that investigators stumbled upon a far deeper conspiracy. Over the following weeks, the cleric’s connections revealed a clandestine JeM-linked network of radicalised medical professionals operating far beyond Kashmir’s borders.
A white-collar terror network emerges
Police investigations soon established that the network extended into Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, operating under the cover of legitimate academic and charitable institutions. Among the accused were several doctors working at Al-Falah University in Faridabad. They allegedly used their professional status to mask their activities and moved funds, chemicals and weapons through encrypted channels.
One of the key suspects was Dr Muzammil Ganaie, also known as Musaib, a doctor from Pulwama who was teaching at Al-Falah University. Acting on intelligence from the J&K police, Haryana police raided a property in Dhauj, Faridabad, and recovered a staggering quantity of explosives -- nearly 360 kilograms of ammonium nitrate, along with detonators, timers and an assault rifle. Over the following days, more searches revealed additional stockpiles, bringing the total to around 2,900 kilograms of explosive material stored across various Faridabad locations.
The discovery shocked investigators. The scale of the seizure suggested that the group was not preparing for a small-scale strike but potentially multiple high-intensity blasts. The network was structured with transnational links to Pakistan-based outfits JeM and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, both known for their involvement in attacks on Indian soil.
The missing doctor and the Delhi blast
As police tightened their net, several doctors, including Muzammil Ganaie, Dr Adeel Ahmad Rather from Qazigund and Dr Shaheen Sayeed from Lucknow, were arrested. However, one member of the module, Dr Umar Mohammad from Pulwama, managed to go underground. Hours later, on November 10, a powerful explosion ripped through the parking area near the Red Fort Metro station in Delhi, killing at least 12 people.
CCTV footage from the area revealed a Hyundai i20 car entering the parking lot shortly before the blast. The driver, wearing a blue-and-black T-shirt, was identified as Dr Umar Mohammad. Police traced the car to multiple previous owners, eventually discovering that it had passed into the hands of a Pulwama resident named Tariq, who had handed it over to Umar.
Preliminary forensic analysis indicated that the blast was caused by a mix of ammonium nitrate, fuel oil, and detonators -- materials identical to those seized from the Faridabad caches. This evidence, along with the timing of the explosion, strongly linked the Delhi blast to the same JeM-inspired terror module. It is possible that Umar, fearing imminent arrest after his associates were caught, may have carried out the attack either as a final act of defiance or under direct instruction from his handlers.
Questions remain
The entire chain, from a few posters to the discovery of nearly three tonnes of explosives and a major blast in Delhi, demonstrates the growing complexity of terror recruitment and logistics in India. The JeM network had evolved beyond militant camps, embedding itself in universities, professional circles and legitimate enterprises. The radicalisation process was subtle but effective, with religious and ideological messaging seeping into professional communities.
Investigators describe the case as a prime example of “white-collar terrorism,” where educated individuals use their training and credibility to advance violent agendas while evading detection. The Bunpora posters, dismissed initially as minor propaganda, ultimately became the clue that exposed this covert web of radicalisation.
Questions remain about the full extent of the network. Police are still identifying overseas financiers and facilitators, and forensic teams continue to examine evidence from the Delhi blast site. The scale of explosives recovered suggests that further attacks may have been planned. Efforts are on to confirm the identity of Dr Umar who was driving the car involved in the Red Fort blast. For now, investigators believe they have disrupted a major JeM-linked terror operation, one that began with a simple poster in Srinagar and ended with a deadly blast in the heart of the national capital.
(With inputs from TOI)
Dr Mohammad Umar, a Kashmiri doctor who was driving the Hyundai i20 car involved in the blast, as shown in the CCTV footage, could be the link between the white-collar terror network of doctors in J&K, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh unearthed by security agencies and the Red Fort blast.
The wriitng on the wall in Srinagar
In mid-October, Srinagar police noticed several posters that carried the insignia and messaging of the banned outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed. The posters threatened renewed attacks on security forces, something not seen frequently since 2019, TOI has reported. SSP G V Sundeep Chakravarthy, known for leading Operation Mahadev in Pahalgam, ordered an inquiry into the matter. CCTV footage in the area helped police identify three local overground workers with a past record of stone-pelting. Their questioning led to the arrest of a cleric from Shopian, Maulvi Irfan Ahmad.
It was during Irfan’s interrogation that investigators stumbled upon a far deeper conspiracy. Over the following weeks, the cleric’s connections revealed a clandestine JeM-linked network of radicalised medical professionals operating far beyond Kashmir’s borders.
A white-collar terror network emerges
Police investigations soon established that the network extended into Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, operating under the cover of legitimate academic and charitable institutions. Among the accused were several doctors working at Al-Falah University in Faridabad. They allegedly used their professional status to mask their activities and moved funds, chemicals and weapons through encrypted channels.
One of the key suspects was Dr Muzammil Ganaie, also known as Musaib, a doctor from Pulwama who was teaching at Al-Falah University. Acting on intelligence from the J&K police, Haryana police raided a property in Dhauj, Faridabad, and recovered a staggering quantity of explosives -- nearly 360 kilograms of ammonium nitrate, along with detonators, timers and an assault rifle. Over the following days, more searches revealed additional stockpiles, bringing the total to around 2,900 kilograms of explosive material stored across various Faridabad locations.
The discovery shocked investigators. The scale of the seizure suggested that the group was not preparing for a small-scale strike but potentially multiple high-intensity blasts. The network was structured with transnational links to Pakistan-based outfits JeM and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, both known for their involvement in attacks on Indian soil.
The missing doctor and the Delhi blast
As police tightened their net, several doctors, including Muzammil Ganaie, Dr Adeel Ahmad Rather from Qazigund and Dr Shaheen Sayeed from Lucknow, were arrested. However, one member of the module, Dr Umar Mohammad from Pulwama, managed to go underground. Hours later, on November 10, a powerful explosion ripped through the parking area near the Red Fort Metro station in Delhi, killing at least 12 people.
CCTV footage from the area revealed a Hyundai i20 car entering the parking lot shortly before the blast. The driver, wearing a blue-and-black T-shirt, was identified as Dr Umar Mohammad. Police traced the car to multiple previous owners, eventually discovering that it had passed into the hands of a Pulwama resident named Tariq, who had handed it over to Umar.
Preliminary forensic analysis indicated that the blast was caused by a mix of ammonium nitrate, fuel oil, and detonators -- materials identical to those seized from the Faridabad caches. This evidence, along with the timing of the explosion, strongly linked the Delhi blast to the same JeM-inspired terror module. It is possible that Umar, fearing imminent arrest after his associates were caught, may have carried out the attack either as a final act of defiance or under direct instruction from his handlers.
Questions remain
The entire chain, from a few posters to the discovery of nearly three tonnes of explosives and a major blast in Delhi, demonstrates the growing complexity of terror recruitment and logistics in India. The JeM network had evolved beyond militant camps, embedding itself in universities, professional circles and legitimate enterprises. The radicalisation process was subtle but effective, with religious and ideological messaging seeping into professional communities.
Investigators describe the case as a prime example of “white-collar terrorism,” where educated individuals use their training and credibility to advance violent agendas while evading detection. The Bunpora posters, dismissed initially as minor propaganda, ultimately became the clue that exposed this covert web of radicalisation.
Questions remain about the full extent of the network. Police are still identifying overseas financiers and facilitators, and forensic teams continue to examine evidence from the Delhi blast site. The scale of explosives recovered suggests that further attacks may have been planned. Efforts are on to confirm the identity of Dr Umar who was driving the car involved in the Red Fort blast. For now, investigators believe they have disrupted a major JeM-linked terror operation, one that began with a simple poster in Srinagar and ended with a deadly blast in the heart of the national capital.
(With inputs from TOI)
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