Delhi blast probe: NIA detains 3 docs linked to Faridabad varsity

The deepening probe has brought unprecedented scrutiny to the university, where at least 4 other doctors linked to the module – including Nabi – were employed.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Jammu & Kashmir Police have detained three doctors – all recently associated with Al-Falah University in Faridabad – for questioning in connection with the deadly blast near Delhi’s Red Fort, officials aware of the matter said, even as the house of Dr Umar un-Nabi, the driver of the car that exploded, was demolished early Friday.

Delhi Police officials seen conducting searches near the Red Fort (Sanchit Khanna/ HT)

The deepening probe has brought unprecedented scrutiny to the university, where at least four other doctors linked to the suspected module – including Nabi – were employed. Eleven people died when the car exploded after slowing down for a red light near the historic monument on Monday evening. Officials said the three doctors detained on Friday were believed to have been in frequent contact with Nabi. According to senior police officers, the detainees have been identified as Dr Mushtakeem, a resident of Sunhera village in Ferozepur Jhirka who returned from China after completing his MBBS and was interning at Al-Falah Medical College; Dr Mohammad, from Ahmadbas village; and Dr Rehaan Hayat, who now works at a private hospital in Tauru after completing his MBBS at Al-Falah.

Dr Mushtakeem’s internship ended on November 2, a week before the blast, while Dr Mohammad had recently completed his degree. “Their names surfaced during interrogation of the arrested suspects, and call detail records showed frequent contact with Dr Umar and Dr Muzammil,” an NIA officer said.

Family members insisted the detained doctors were innocent. “Mushtakeem is a disciplined boy; he can’t be involved in such activities,” said his uncle Permaal, recalling that Delhi Police had questioned him earlier in the week before detaining him on Thursday night.

Investigators also confirmed that members of the module communicated using draft messages saved in a shared email account – a method that leaves no transmitted messages and is harder to trace. They also used encrypted apps such as Signal and Threema.

In Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district, Dr Umar’s two-storey house was demolished late Thursday night. Security personnel evacuated the occupants before triggering explosives that flattened the structure. Neighbours in Koil village said they were jolted awake by the blast, adding that multiple teams from different agencies had been visiting the homes of Umar and his associate, Dr Muzammil Shakeel, who lived less than a kilometre away.

Delhi Police officers assisting the NIA said scrutiny of Al-Falah University has intensified because three of its doctors – Umar, Muzammil, and Dr Shaheen Shahid – have already been arrested or named in the investigation.

Teams were, meanwhile, dispatched to Madhya Pradesh to gather information about the university’s chairman, Jawad Ahmed Siddiqui, and his family as investigators map academic, financial and personal connections among the suspects.

On Friday, a police team reached Mhow in Madhya Pradesh to locate Siddiqui’s residence and verify whether any of his academic or financial associations overlapped with the accused. “Local police are helping us with background checks. His family will be questioned too,” an officer said. Siddiqui currently resides in Delhi’s Jamia Nagar.

NIA has sought extensive records from the university, including hostel allocations, faculty recruitment details, and financial transactions across all departments. Investigators are examining whether the doctors used their positions to recruit sympathisers, raise funds, or facilitate logistics for the attack.

On Thursday, police raided Siddiqui’s Okhla office. Officers said he had been arrested in 2000 for allegedly misappropriating ₹7.5 crore from investors through shell companies registered under the Al-Falah name. Siddiqui spent three years in jail before being acquitted in 2005. Investigators stressed that no link has yet been established between the university and the blast.

At the Okhla office, the university’s legal advisor, Mohammad Raazi, said the institution was cooperating fully. “We had no idea of the doctors’ activities. We are equally shocked. Our campus has never been used for funding or experiments linked to terror,” he said.

Separately, a senior official from the National Medical Council (NMC) said the registrations of four Al-Falah-affiliated doctors – Dr Muzaffar Ahmad, Dr Adeel Ahmad Rather, Dr Muzammil Shakeel, and Dr Shaheen Shahid – was cancelled. The council will take additional action based on police findings.

A Delhi Police special cell officer said the accused doctors used a single email account without sending each other messages. Instead, they typed drafts and deleted them after the others read them — a method aimed at avoiding detection. “They were careful not to leave a digital footprint,” the officer said.

Investigators have been sent to Kashmir for additional raids amid concerns that more explosives remain unaccounted for. “A major portion has been recovered, but some material is still missing,” the officer added.

Locals in Koil village said forces arrived after midnight and asked Umar’s family to step out immediately, allowing them to take only essential items. “Soon after they stepped out, the house was blown up,” a neighbour said.

In Faridabad and Nuh, police have stepped up surveillance in markets, public areas, and border routes. “Strict verification drives are under way to maintain public safety,” said Yashpal Singh, spokesperson for Faridabad Police.

Authorities in Gurugram have also tightened fertilizer sales amid concerns over chemical misuse. “Fertilizers like urea, DAP and NPK will now be sold only to registered farmers under the Meri Fasal Mera Byora scheme,” said Gurugram deputy commissioner Ajay Kumar.

With inputs from bureau in Srinagar