Radicalised Pulwama doc discussed suicide attack with members: Probe

Investigative agencies probing the Delhi blast and the ‘white-collar’ interstate terror module this week have found that Dr Umer-un-Nabi from Pulwama, who drove the explosives-laden i20 car that blew up near the Red Fort, was so “highly radicalised” that he would openly discuss “suicide bombing” with his associates.

A senior J&K Police officer told The Tribune on Thursday that all the main “members of the module” had been arrested, and that “linkages” were now being investigated by multiple agencies.

On Monday, soon after the J&K Police announced the busting of a terror module spanning several states, a deadly car explosion took place near Delhi’s Red Fort. Among those arrested were three doctors — Adeel Majeed Rather, Muzamil Ahmad Ganai and Shaheen Saeed.

The fourth accused, Dr Umer, went into hiding after the module was busted, and later that evening the car he was driving exploded in the busy streets of Old Delhi.

Top security sources said the “core group” of the module included four doctors, three from Kashmir and one woman doctor, who had been collecting explosive materials locally for months to plan “bigger attacks” in the region.

They said the group purchased NPK fertilisers through Haryana and that investigation was underway to trace the sources of all materials.

The agencies believe the members were not trained in handling explosives but had “apparently used the internet” to learn about them.

A senior official privy to the investigation said several revelations had emerged showing how the group of doctors was planning attacks as “an option” in response to “what is happening with Muslims.”

“All the doctors were highly radicalised and to the extent they had planned to take steps to carry out attacks. We have found the arrested members highly religious and dedicated to radical thoughts… their aim was to give practical shape to their radical ideology,” said sources.

An officer said that once the module was busted, Umer felt there “was no going back.”

“The explosion of the car happened in panic mode. He was aware that he could not hide for too long,” the officer said, adding that the woman doctor had also provided financial assistance to the group.

Investigators found that family members were unaware of what their children were doing in Faridabad. “The doctors kept everything under cover and that way, parents and family members didn’t know much,” said an official.

At the university, the group members were reportedly “not socially active” and “would not interact much with others on campus.”

In Kashmir, security agencies continue to investigate. On Tuesday, raids were conducted after authorities handed over the case — linked to Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) posters that first led police to the terror network — to the State Investigation Agency (SIA).