E-Paper
Who is Muzammil Shakil? J&K doctor held with ammonium nitrate near Delhi in big operation
The explosives and ammunition were recovered from a rented accommodation in Faridabad's Dhauj village, where a heavy police presence was seen on Monday.
A joint operation by the police forces of Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana along with the Intelligence Bureau (IB) foiled a major terror plot and seized recovered around 350 kilogram of explosives, an AK-47 rifle, as well a large cache of ammunition from Faridabad, an NCR city near Delhi.
The explosives and ammunition were recovered from a rented accommodation in Faridabad's Dhauj village, where a heavy police presence was seen on Monday.
While initial reports earlier said RDX was recovered in the operation that was carried out on Sunday, police clarified it was ammonium nitrate.
The operation was carried out based on inputs from interrogations of arrested suspects in Jammu & Kashmir. Police on Monday said the explosives were recovered from the residence of Dr Muzammil Shakil, who had rented the house in Dhauj about three months ago, said police.
Who is Dr Muzammil Shakil?
Police identified Dr Muzammil Shakil, an MBBS, as the occupant of the Dhauj accommodation where the explosives and weapons were recovered. Police said Shakil was under arrest.
Addressing a press conference on the case on Faridabad Police Commissioner Satender Kumar Gupta said Dr Muzammil, whose name appeared with varying spellings across reports, was teaching at Al Falah University of Dhauj.
Al Falah University, around 45 km from Delhi, is privately run and recognised by the University Grants Commission (UGC), according to a PTI news agency report.
According to officials, Dr Shakil had rented the accommodation about three months ago. He was taken into custody by the Jammu & Kashmir Police on October 30, following the arrest of Dr Adil Ahmad Rather, another accused allegedly linked to the same terror network.
Investigators said information obtained during the interrogation of these two suspects led to Sunday's recovery operation. Preliminary findings suggest that both individuals were part of a larger module suspected to have cross-border links and were planning large-scale attacks in northern India.
On explosives along with an assault rifle recovered in Faridabad, Police Commissioner Gupta said in the press conference that raids led to the recovery of around 360 kg of inflammable material, likely ammonium nitrate, not RDX.
"Along with it, 20 timers, batteries, and a Kalashnikov assault rifle with three magazines and 83 live rounds, a pistol with eight live rounds, and other equipment were recovered. The joint operation is still ongoing,” Gupta said.
Meanwhile, in a fresh turn in the case, sources cited in reports said the assault rifle linked to Muzammil was found inside a Swift Dzire car belonging to a woman doctor employed at Al-Falah University. HT could not independently verify the authenticy of the reports.
"We have not yet taken any action against her. It's possible that the accused may have borrowed her vehicle without her knowledge," a Times of India report quoted sources.
Since the weapon was recovered from her car, her role remains under investigation, the sources added.
