Srinagar / New Delhi — Investigators probing the Red Fort blast that rocked Delhi on Monday evening have detained four individuals in Jammu and Kashmir, as authorities focus on tracing an absconding doctor believed to have played a key role in the attack.
Sources in the Jammu and Kashmir Police confirmed that the men taken into custody include the brothers of Dr. Umar Nabi, a medical practitioner who has been on the run since the explosion. Early findings suggest that Nabi may have been behind the wheel of the Hyundai i20 that detonated near the Red Fort metro station, killing 12 people and injuring several others.
Dr. Nabi, who worked at Al-Falah University in Faridabad, has been under scrutiny ever since another faculty member from the same institution, Dr. Muzamil Ahmad Ganai alias Musaib, was arrested on Monday. Ganai, a resident of Pulwama in South Kashmir, was among eight people held by the Jammu and Kashmir Police in connection with an alleged “white-collar” terror module operating across states.
Officials said the module included several professionals, among them three doctors, and was in possession of nearly 2,900 kilograms of chemicals used to manufacture Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). “The nature of the material recovered suggests a large-scale operation. Links to the Red Fort explosion are being examined,” a senior investigator told reporters.
Also among those arrested earlier was Dr. Shahin Shahid, a woman doctor from Uttar Pradesh employed at Al-Falah University Hospital. Following Ganai’s arrest, Dr. Umar Nabi reportedly disappeared, prompting authorities to track his movements in the Valley.
Police have also detained Amir Rashid from Pulwama, whose Aadhaar credentials were allegedly used to purchase the i20 car that exploded. Officers are now working to confirm whether the vehicle was directly linked to the terror network uncovered this week.
“Interrogations are underway, and several digital and financial leads are being pursued. The role of Umar Nabi is central to the ongoing investigation,” a senior police officer said, adding that security agencies from multiple states are sharing intelligence inputs.
The Red Fort blast has triggered a coordinated security response across northern India, with special teams deployed in Delhi and Kashmir to piece together the broader conspiracy. Investigators suspect the explosion may have been orchestrated as part of a larger plan by the module dismantled in the Valley.
