Al Falah’s past terror ties surface, former student key figure in 2008 blasts

Investigations into the Delhi blast case has revealed that Al Falah University in Faridabad’s Dhauj village has had a long-standing link with terrorism. In several earlier bomb blasts, from Gujarat to Delhi, the university appears to have a recurring connection.

Fugitive terrorist Mirza Shadab Baig, involved in five bombings in 2008, was also a student there. He completed his BTech in electronics and instrumentation in 2007 and disappeared soon after travelling on his genuine passport. He has been missing since September 19, 2008, the day of the Batla House encounter.

This is why multiple investigating and security agencies across the country, including the Delhi Police Special Cell, Gujarat ATS, UP ATS, J&K Police and Haryana Police, are now probing the case together. On Friday, a team of the Punjab Police also reached Al Falah University and questioned several staff members and students for hours. Information was also collected about a doctor recently detained from Pathankot.

The 45-year-old doctor had been teaching at a medical college in Pathankot for three years. Before that, he worked for four years at Al Falah. He remained in touch with several of his fellow students there. The Punjab Police team gathered details about his tenure at the university and his links with Dr Umer Un-Nabi and others. Sources said if the agencies had taken even a little longer to bust this “white-collar” terror module, its network could have expanded significantly.

Meanwhile, the NIA again detained a cab driver for questioning last night. Sources said the agency had taken Dr Muzammil from J&K on a production warrant and was interrogating him and the taxi driver face to face. The Nuh Police also inspected madrasa Jamia Madina Uloom at Jhimrawat village on Thursday, although no suspicious items or persons were found.

The sources said Mirza Shadab Baig -- still absconding and believed to be in Saudi Arabia -- was a native of Raja Ka Qila Mohalla in Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh. A key member of the Indian Mujahideen, he was involved in the 2008 Jaipur serial blasts. He had travelled to Udupi, Karnataka, to collect explosives for the attacks. Having studied instrumentation engineering at Al Falah University, Baig was well-versed in the technicalities of bomb-making.

Officials said Baig carried a reward of Rs 1 lakh and was wanted in multiple bombings, including the 2008 Jaipur serial blasts, the Ahmedabad-Surat blasts and the 2007 Gorakhpur blast. The Jaipur attacks involved nine explosions within 15 minutes across several locations in the city, killing 63 persons and injuring 216.

The sources said Baig was also involved in the 2008 Ahmedabad and Surat blasts. He arrived in Ahmedabad 15 days before the attacks, conducted a recce and formed three teams with Qayamuddin Kapadia, Mujeeb Shaikh and Abdul Raziq. Raziq’s team included Atif Amin and Baig. Baig arranged all logistics for the operation.

He was also implicated in the 2007 Gorakhpur blasts, which injured six persons. The Gorakhpur police seized his property after his links to the Indian Mujahideen emerged. He has been absconding since the group was exposed in September 2008. After his name surfaced in these attacks, a reward of Rs 1 lakh was declared on him. According to police sources, Baig was last traced to Afghanistan in 2019 and has not been located since.

Meanwhile, alongside the NIA, a Delhi Police team is also questioning the cab driver. Two investigation teams are conducting searches in parts of Mewat. Efforts are on to determine where the refined explosives found in Muzammil’s room were manufactured.