NIA brings accused doctor back to Al-Falah for location identification in blast probe

The agency’s team arrived at the university around 8 pm and spent nearly two hours retracing the areas he frequented, including his cabin and residential rooms

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday brought Dr Muzammil Shakeel Ganaie – the Al-Falah Medical College doctor arrested in the Red Fort blast case – to the Faridabad campus for location identification before taking him to Sohna’s Anaj Mandi to point out shops where he allegedly bought 1,600kg of ammonium nitrate over three months, officials aware of the matter said on Tuesday.

Al-Falah University in Faridabad. (Parveen Kumar/HT)

The agency’s team arrived at the university around 8pm and spent nearly two hours retracing the areas he frequented, including his cabin, residential rooms and points where he met students and associates, officials aware of the matter. Investigators said the visit was aimed at reconstructing his routine at the varsity and examining places where he may have coordinated with others involved in the module. He was then taken to two rented houses in Dhauj and Fatehpur Taga, used by the group to stockpile materials. His total time in Faridabad was around three hours, the people cited above said.

Shopkeepers told HT they had already handed over invoices and registers to police. “He said he bought 600kg of ammonium nitrate from us, but I don’t remember the exact entries. We have submitted everything to authorities,” said the 65-year-old owner of one outlet. At the second shop, the owner said police briefly detained his 21-year-old son to verify records. “He told them the doctor bought 1,000kg from us. Police checked all files; we are cooperating,” he said.

Investigators have alleged that Dr Muzammil was part of a radicalised network – mostly comprising doctors – that amassed 2,900kg of ammonium nitrate along with detonators, batteries, timers and metal shards in two rented rooms in Dhauj and Fatehpur Taga. The spaces functioned as a “terror logistics base,” officers said, enabling storage, assembly and movement of explosives across NCR. “The rooms were clearly prepared for assembly and stockpiling… he had built a system that could support a major operation,” a senior official said.

Arrested on October 30, over 10 days before the Red Fort explosion, Dr Muzammil was first identified through the questioning of his associate, Dr Adeel Rather. Haryana Police said he made frequent trips across Faridabad, Delhi and Sohna in a Swift car registered to Lucknow-based Dr Shaheen Shahid, allegedly used to move explosive material. His encrypted chats and financial transactions are now being examined for links to potential foreign handlers, officials said.

Meanwhile, Faridabad Police have seized three years of sales records from at least seven fertilizer shops in Sohna, Nuh, Faridabad and Palwal to trace bulk buyers of ammonium-nitrate-based fertilizers. Several shopkeepers were detained between November 12 and 15 for questioning but were released after no direct evidence surfaced. Their records have been handed to NIA for further analysis.

Agency officials said more field verification exercises are planned as NIA continues to piece together the module’s logistical blueprint.