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Terror probe: NIA likely to take Shaheen to Lucknow, Kanpur, Adeel to Saharanpur
UP ATS to collaborate NIA teams for coordinated interrogation of accused to uncover crucial links to a suspected broader terror nexus in parts of state
New Delhi: As part of its ongoing probe into the November 10 Delhi blast, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) is likely to bring accused Dr Shaheen Saeed to Lucknow and Kanpur as well as Dr Adeel Ahmad Rather to Saharanpur.
The agency aims to verify their movements, identify the individuals they met, and unravel what investigators suspect could be a wider network operating across several districts of Uttar Pradesh, officials familiar with the development said.
A Delhi court on Thursday granted the NIA 10 days’ custody of Dr Shaheen, Kashmiri medical professional Dr Adeel Ahmed Rather—who reportedly worked at a hospital in Saharanpur for a year—and two other accused, Dr Muzammil Shakeel Ganai and Mufti Irfan Ahmad Wagay, for detailed interrogation,
As per the NIA investigations, they had played a key role in the Delhi terror attack that killed 15 people and left several others injured. The NIA, in its statement, mentioned that the agency is closely working with police teams of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir to track and arrest every member of the terrorist module involved in the blast.
People privy to the matter said the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) is preparing to collaborate closely with NIA teams to question the arrested doctors about their activities in Lucknow, Kanpur and Saharanpur. They said the investigators are particularly focused on Dr Adeel’s stay in Saharanpur, where he allegedly built local contacts during his tenure at a private hospital.
“With the NIA now holding custody, teams are expected to bring the three main accused to Lucknow, Kanpur and Saharanpur for site visits, verification of meeting points, and identification of individuals allegedly connected to them,” a senior ATS official said.
“The next phase of interrogation will be crucial for piecing together the still-unexplored angles of the case,” the official added.
According to preliminary findings shared earlier by UP ATS and Jammu & Kashmir Police, Dr Shaheen had travelled to Lucknow and Kanpur a few weeks before the blast. She is suspected to have met her brother Dr Parvez Ansari, who was also taken into custody by J&K police, and several other individuals during that visit. Investigators also suspect she met her alleged aides in these cities, prompting the NIA to conduct on-ground verification and potential face-to-face confrontations with persons of interest.
Officials said several unanswered questions remain about the accused individuals’ movements, motivations and local networks. The ATS expects that coordinated custodial interrogation could uncover “crucial links” necessary to understand the full extent of what they suspect may be a broader terror nexus within parts of Uttar Pradesh.
The arrests were made even as the NIA took over the investigation into the Delhi blast near Red Fort on November 10. Early probe findings, including electronic surveillance and ground intelligence, pointed towards the involvement of a suspected module with alleged connections across Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir.
Dr Shaheen and the others were picked up following raids conducted by Jammu and Kashmir police, UP ATS, Haryana police and other central agencies at multiple locations. Investigators claim that the movement patterns and digital trails of the accused indicated coordinated activity in the days leading up to the blast. However, officials acknowledged that several key aspects of the case remain unresolved.
