New Delhi, Dec 15: A Delhi court on Monday extended the National Investigation Agency (NIA) custody of Soyab, a Faridabad resident accused of harbouring Red Fort bomber Umar-un-Nabi, and Dr Naseer Bilal Malla of Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla district, by four more days in connection with the Red Fort blast case.
The accused were produced before the Patiala House Court amid tight security following the completion of their earlier remand periods. Soyab was presented after the expiry of his 10-day NIA custody granted on December 5, while Dr Naseer Bilal was produced after completing his seven-day custody sanctioned on December 9.
The proceedings were held in camera, with media persons barred from covering the hearing. Principal and Sessions Judge Anju Bajaj Chandna allowed the probe agency’s plea, granting the NIA additional time to question both accused as part of the ongoing investigation into the Delhi terror blast.
According to the NIA, Soyab, a resident of Dhauj village in Haryana’s Faridabad district, allegedly provided logistical support to Umar-un-Nabi prior to the terror attack near the Red Fort. The agency has maintained that his role was crucial in facilitating the movement and shelter of the bomber.
Dr Naseer Bilal Malla, the eighth accused arrested in the case, was taken into custody by the NIA from Delhi on December 9. Investigators have described him as a key conspirator in what they termed a “white-collar” terror module earlier unearthed by the Jammu and Kashmir Police.
As per NIA officials, Dr Naseer knowingly harboured Umar-un-Nabi and assisted him with logistical arrangements. He is also accused of destroying evidence linked to the terrorist attack, the agency stated earlier.
Umar-un-Nabi, the prime accused, was driving an explosive-laden i20 car that detonated outside the historic Red Fort on November 10, killing 15 people and leaving several others injured.
Earlier, PTI had reported that the sophisticated terror module, allegedly led by a group of medical professionals, had been scouting for a suicide bomber since last year, with Umar-un-Nabi believed to be a key planner in the conspiracy.
Investigations in the Red Fort blast case are ongoing, with the NIA continuing to unravel the wider network behind the attack.
