In a major escalation of the probe into the Red Fort terror blast, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday conducted extensive searches linked to Al Falah University, targeting its trustees and associated individuals and entities.
The operation, launched early in the morning, is part of the agency’s ongoing investigation into the November 10 car bomb explosion near Delhi’s Red Fort that left 15 people dead and several injured, officials said.
According to sources, ED teams began raids at around 5 am, covering 25 locations across Delhi and other regions. One of the key premises searched was the university’s Okhla office, while Al Falah University itself is located in Faridabad.
The institution has been under the scanner after it emerged that Dr Umar Un Nabi, the suicide bomber identified in the attack, was associated with the university. His involvement prompted multiple agencies to expand their investigation into the varsity’s operations.
Meanwhile, the Delhi Police Crime Branch is preparing to question Jawad, the university’s founder, in connection with two FIRs lodged against the institution. Officials confirmed that a formal notice summoning him for questioning has already been issued.
The Crime Branch has registered two separate cases against Al Falah University—one alleging that the institution misled students by falsely displaying a UGC 12B certificate on its website, and another accusing it of admitting students despite its NAAC accreditation having expired in 2018. Both cases include charges of cheating and forgery.
In a parallel breakthrough on Monday, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested another key operative connected to the terror module. Jasir Bilal Wani, also known as Danish, was detained in Srinagar for allegedly providing advanced technical support to the attackers. According to the NIA, Jasir had been working on “modifying drones and attempting to make rockets” ahead of the blast.
NIA’s statement noted: “Jasir had allegedly provided technical support for carrying out terror attacks by modifying drones and attempting to make rockets ahead of the deadly car bomb blast, which killed 15 persons and left over 30 persons injured.”
Investigators have also uncovered extensive details about the internal functioning of the terror network believed to be connected to Dr Umar, the suicide bomber. Sources revealed that Umar created an encrypted Signal group—named using special characters—around three months ago. He added Muzammil, Adeel, Muzaffar, and Irfan to the group, which was allegedly used for coordinating activities.
A major lead emerged after a weapon cache, including a Krinkov rifle and a pistol, was recovered from the car of Dr Shaheen, one of the suspects. Probes suggest Umar procured the weapons and handed them over to Irfan sometime in 2024.
Officials added that Dr Shaheen had previously seen the same weapons during a visit to Irfan’s room with Dr Muzammil, who is believed to be among the primary financiers of the module. Shaheen herself is suspected of having contributed significantly to the group’s funds.
The investigation has also revealed a clear division of roles within the terror module:
- Financing was handled mainly by the three doctors, particularly Muzammil.
- Recruitment of Kashmiri youth was overseen by Irfan, also known as Mufti, who allegedly brought in Arif Nisar Dar (Sahil) and Yasir ul Ashraf, both of whom have since been arrested.
- Weapon movement was coordinated through trusted networks, with multiple instances documented.
Officials noted several weapon-handling episodes, including one in October 2023, when Dr Adeel and Dr Umar were seen visiting Irfan at Masjid Ali carrying a rifle. They cleaned the weapon’s barrel before leaving. On another occasion, the group—including Dr Muzammil and Dr Shaheen—left a rifle at Irfan’s residence, which Adeel retrieved the following day.
Authorities say the findings point to a highly coordinated terror network involving structured financing, targeted recruitment, and systematic weapon movement through encrypted platforms and close personal connections.
