Red fort blast: NIA chargesheets 3 more persons, including absconding doctor

Officials said the accused persons have been charged under various sections that deal with terror charges in UAPA and BNS

Published on: Jun 27, 2026, 16:52:00 IST

By Neeraj Chauhan, New Delhi

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The National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed a second charge sheet against three more persons in the November 2025 car bomb explosion near Delhi’s Red Fort including an absconding doctor, and two overground workers (OGWs) of terror groups, the agency said on Saturday.

One of the key persons named in the second chargesheet, Muzafar Ahmad alias Faraz, pediatrician (MBBS, MD), is absconding. The other two are Zameer Ahmad Ahangar and Tufail Ahmad Bhat.

The first charge sheet was filed on May 14 naming 10 accused.

The federal anti-terror probe agency in a statement said that Muzafar Ahmad was the founding member of al-Qaeda affiliated Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGuH) and also a “prime architect” of the bomb blast conspiracy, in which 12 people including the bomber - Dr Umar un-Nabi - were killed.

Earlier, four doctors including his younger brother - Adeel Ahmad Rather - were charged among 10 people in the previous charge sheet.

“Absconding accused Muzafar Ahmed has been identified as the elder brother of co-accused Dr Adeel Ahmed Rather (arrested) and a founding member of AGuH Interim - an offshoot of al-Qaeda. NIA investigation revealed Muzafar Ahmed to be one of the prime architects, along with co accused Umer, Muzammil Shakeel, Adeel Rather, and Mufti Irfan, of the conspiracy that led to the deadly vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) blast,” NIA said in its statement.

“Muzafar Ahmed attended the secret Eidgah meeting at Srinagar in June 2022, during which the terror module AGuH ‘Interim’ was established,” the agency said, adding that he was “deeply involved in the manufacture, testing and safekeeping of TATP-based improvised explosive device (IEDs) at a clandestine IED facility run by Dr Umer un-Nabi and and Muzammil Shakeel at Al-Falah University in Faridabad’.

A non-bailable warrant has been issued against him and efforts are being made to trace him, the agency said.

NIA said that Zameer Ahmad Ahanger worked for this offshoot and was “actively in touch with handlers”, and “acted as a courier for arms, ammunition, and cash for the terror module”.

Also Read:Red Fort blast part of al-Qaeda affiliated group’s ‘Heavenly Hind’ operation, says NIA chargesheet

The third accused, Tufail Ahmad Bhat, is a former OGW of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and worked as its “arms supplier”.

“Bhat had procured one AK-47, one Krinkov rifle, one pistol, magazines and live ammunition through dead drops orchestrated by a handler, and delivered them to the deceased bomber Dr Umer un-Nabi for ₹3 lakh,” NIA said.

Officials said the accused persons have been charged under various sections that deal with terror charges in Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Earlier, in May, the agency said that the operation primarily planned by a group of self-radicalised medical professionals was called ‘Heavenly Hind’.

“Under the umbrella of the newly constituted outfit, they launched ‘Operation Heavenly Hind’ aimed at overthrowing the democratically established Indian government and imposing Sharia rule. They recruited new members, actively propagated the violent Jehadi ideology, stockpiled arms and ammunition, and manufactured explosives on a large scale using commercially available chemicals. They also fabricated and tested various types of IEDs,” the agency said in May.

AGuH was formed in July 2017 by Zakir Rashid Bhat alias Zakir Musa, once a close aide of Burhan Wani, after parting ways with Hizbul Mujahideen. In the initial days, the AGuH coordinated with other outfits in Jammu and Kashmir, but a continuous crackdown by the security forces led to its activities coming to an end. Officials in the intelligence community said AGuH was not widely accepted in Kashmir. After the killing of Musa by the security forces in May 2019, it became defunct.

NIA on Saturday said that its probe is continuing in the bomb blast.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Neeraj Chauhan
Neeraj Chauhan is a senior journalist with Hindustan Times and an investigative reporter specialising in national security, terrorism, organised crime, narcotics, corruption, financial crime and complex investigations. With over 21 years of experience across Hindustan Times, The Times of India, The Indian Express and The Pioneer, he has built deep expertise in India’s internal security and law-enforcement landscape. Neeraj has extensively covered India’s principal investigative, intelligence and security agencies, including the NIA, CBI, ED, IB, R&AW, MHA and other central security forces. His work has included deeply reported investigations into terrorism, terror financing, cross-border crime, narcotics trafficking, cybercrime, financial fraud and political and corporate corruption. He has reported on some of the most significant terror attacks and security developments in India over the past two decades, including the Delhi serial blasts, the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, the 2019 Pulwama terror attack and the recent Pahalgam attack. His reporting has also chronicled the rise and decline of the Indian Mujahideen, the activities and subsequent crackdown on the Popular Front of India (PFI), Islamist extremist networks, the conflict in Jammu and Kashmir, insurgencies in the Northeast and Maoist violence. Some of Neeraj’s major breaking stories are in Aryan Khan drug case, Sushant Singh Rajput suicide, interception of a 3,000-kg Afghan heroin consignment worth about ₹21,000 crore at Mundra port, Sri Lanka easter bombings, Aarushi-Hemraj murders in Noida, 2G scam, coal block allocation scam, AgustWestland VVIP chopper deal and major bank frauds and extradition cases involving Mehul Choksi, Nirav Modi and Vijay Mallya. His reporting is marked by an ability to cultivate sources, analyse confidential and complex documents, and follow investigations over several years—from the initial breakthrough to chargesheets, trials and international legal proceedings. He specialises in making complicated security and investigative developments accessible while examining their wider implications for governance and public policy. A Chevening South Asia Journalism Programme Fellow at the University of Westminster, Neeraj also spent time at the Financial Times as part of the fellowship. He was also a Robert Bosch Media Ambassadors India-Germany Fellow, studying at the University of Tübingen and working with Der Tagesspiegel in Berlin. He has previously taught investigative journalism and crime reporting as a guest faculty member at the Times School of Journalism. Over more than two decades, Neeraj has established himself as an authoritative voice on India’s national security and investigative landscape, with his reporting closely followed by officials, investigators, lawyers, policymakers and readers seeking insight into some of the country’s most complex and consequential developments.Read More

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