NEW DELHI, Dec 24: A Delhi court extended the judicial custody of seven accused in the high-profile Red Fort blast case by 15 days, keeping them in detention until January 8 amid ongoing investigations into the sophisticated terror conspiracy.
Additional Sessions Judge Prashant Sharma remanded Dr Adeel Rather, Dr Muzammil Ganaie, Dr Shaheen Saeed, Maulvi Irfan Ahmed Wagay, Jasir Bilal Wani, Amir Rashid Ali, and Soyab in judicial custody after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) produced them at Patiala House Court under tight security following expiry of their previous custody periods. Media personnel were barred from covering the proceedings, reflecting the sensitive nature of the terror-related charges.
The three doctors and Wagay were initially remanded to 12 days’ judicial custody on December 12, while Ali and Wani received 14-day remand on December 10, and Soyab was sent to five-day custody on December 19. Ali was arrested November 16 for allegedly facilitating purchase of the Hyundai i20 car converted into a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (IED) that detonated outside the iconic Mughal monument on November 10. Wani, arrested November 17, allegedly provided technical expertise by modifying drones and attempting rocket construction, admitting during questioning that he encountered the “doctor module” at a Kulgam mosque in October of the previous year. Soyab was detained November 26 for providing logistical support to the suicide bomber.
Earlier NIA reports revealed the sophisticated terror network, spearheaded by medical professionals, had actively searched for a suicide bomber since the previous year, with Umar-un-Nabi serving as the alleged mastermind who drove the explosive-laden vehicle to its target. The agency arrested Dr Naseer Bilal Malla from Delhi on December 9 as a key conspirator accused of harboring Umar-un-Nabi, providing logistical assistance, and destroying attack-related evidence. On December 18, the NIA apprehended the ninth accused, Yasir Ahmad Dar, a Jammu and Kashmir resident and alleged close associate who had reportedly taken an oath to execute self-sacrificial operations.
The case underscores concerns about radicalized professionals forming terror cells capable of executing high-profile attacks on national monuments, with authorities continuing to uncover the network’s full operational scope and potential connections.
