Haryana doctor held in J&K as Red Fort blast investigation exposes ‘white-collar’ network

Investigators tracking what they describe as a “white-collar” terror module have detained a woman doctor from Haryana posted in south Kashmir, widening a fast-expanding probe now intersecting with the Red Fort blast case and spanning Jammu & Kashmir, Delhi, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh.

Counter-intelligence teams raided a rented accommodation in Anantnag’s Malaknag area and detained Dr Priyanka Sharma of Rohtak, who has been serving at Government Medical College (GMC) Anantnag, officials said. A mobile phone and SIM card seized from the premises have been sent for forensic analysis.

Her name surfaced during the interrogation of Adeel, a former GMC Anantnag staffer whose disclosures pointed investigators toward individuals allegedly providing logistical or financial support to the module. Call-detail trails eventually led police to Dr Sharma, prompting Haryana authorities to dispatch a team for background verification.

The Kashmir leads have triggered a parallel sweep across Uttar Pradesh, where around 200 Kashmiri-origin medical students and doctors are now on the radar. The ATS has reached out to colleges and universities in Kanpur, Lucknow, Meerut, Saharanpur and other cities as part of the widening net.

The detention comes amid an intensified crackdown linked to the Red Fort car blast that killed 13 people on November 10. Delhi Police, working with central agencies, arrested three men including two doctors from Haryana’s Al-Falah University during coordinated raids across Dhauj, Nuh and surrounding areas on November 14 night.

Al-Falah University is now under its own legal spotlight, with Delhi Police’s Crime Branch registering two FIRs for cheating and forgery after the UGC and NAAC flagged major irregularities. Investigators also reached the university’s Okhla office in Delhi seeking records tied to individuals under watch.

The two detained doctors, Mohammad and Mustakim, were known to Umar Nabi, the driver of the Hyundai i20 that exploded near the Red Fort. Both were allegedly in contact with Dr Muzammil Ganaie, already arrested in the “white-collar” module case. One of them was in Delhi for an AIIMS interview on the day of the blast, according to preliminary questioning.

In Haryana, another man Dinesh alias Dabbu has been detained for illegally selling fertilizer. Investigators believe module members pooled ₹26 lakh to procure explosive materials, including ₹3 lakh worth of NPK fertilizer. Police are examining whether Dinesh supplied the material and whether his operations extended beyond unauthorized sales.

Investigators have also questioned a tea seller in Delhi’s Wazirpur Industrial Area, where Umar paused briefly before the explosion. CCTV footage showed him seated at the stall for a few minutes. Officials are cross-checking entry logs and vehicle data from Sunehri Masjid parking, where Umar’s car remained for nearly three hours. Every vehicle from that time window is being scanned and cleared only after verification.

In Faridabad, police say they have checked 140 mosques, 1,700 tenants, 40 fertilizer and seed shops, 200 guesthouses and over 500 people from Jammu & Kashmir as part of a sweeping district-wide crackdown.

The original UAPA case filed by Delhi Police has now been handed to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is examining the wider conspiracy behind the module and its connections to the Red Fort blast.