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Red Fort blast: NIA conducts searches in Anantnag forest area
Brings along two accused, Dr Adeel Rather and Jasir Bilal Wani, arrested in connection with the white-collar terror module linked to the banned Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) outfit.
A National Investigation Agency (NIA) team on Tuesday carried out searches in the Hutmurah forest area of Anantnag district as part of its probe into the November 10 blast near the Red Fort in Delhi that left 15 people dead, officials said.
They said the NIA team, assisted by Jammu and Kashmir Police and the Central Reserve Police Force, brought along two accused, Dr Adeel Rather and Jasir Bilal Wani, arrested in connection with the white-collar terror module linked to the banned Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) outfit.
It is learnt that the accused were brought by the investigators to identify locations used for testing explosives in the forest area of the south Kashmir district. The officials said three locations were being searched.
On November 7, an AK-47 rifle was recovered from Dr Rather’s locker at the Government Medical College and Hospital in Anantnag, where he worked as a senior resident until October 24, 2024. He was working at a private hospital in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, before his arrest on November 6.
Dr Rather’s interrogation led to the recovery of 2,900kg of explosives from a rented accommodation of Dr Muzamil Shakeel of Al Falah University in Haryana’s Faridabad district.
Officials are also probing the role of Dr Rather’s brother, Dr Muzaffar Rather, who is believed to have shifted to Dubai earlier this year.
· Jasir Bilal Wani was a college student and resident of Qazigund and lived near Dr Rather’s house. He is an alleged “active co-conspirator” in the blast case and is accused of providing technical support to the terror module, including modifying drones. Initial reports suggest he was meant to be the suicide bomber but later backed out.
· He was arrested by the NIA on November 17 from Srinagar and was remanded in NIA custody. His father, Bilal Ahmad Wani, a dry fruit seller, had died by suicide after allegedly being repeatedly denied permission to meet his detained son and brother last month. (With PTI inputs)
