Jaish Handler Shared Bomb-Making Videos With Delhi Blast Accused: Sources

A Pakistan-based Jaish handler, known as 'Hanzulla', shared bomb-making videos with Dr Muzamil Shakeel, one of the accused doctors involved in the blast near Delhi's Red Fort that killed 15 people, sources said. According to a preliminary investigation, 'Hanzulla' appears to be a pseudonym.

The Jaish posters in Jammu and Kashmir's Nowgam in October that prompted the terror investigation had the name 'Commander Hanzulla bhai' written on them, sources said.

Security agencies probing the Delhi blast case are tracing the Jaish handler, they added.

Sources said that the Jaish handler got in touch with Shakeel through Maulvi Irfan Ahmed - a cleric from Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian who radicalised the doctors and formed the white collar terror module. Maulvi first recruited Shakeel - who worked as a doctor at Faridabad's Al-Falah University and whose licence to practice medicine now stands cancelled. Shakeel then met other 'like-minded' doctors at the university - Muzaffar Ahmad, Adeel Ahmad Rather, and Shaheen Saeed - and recruited them.

Shakeel is accused of transporting the explosives. He is also accused of being involved in handing over the white Hyundai i20 car involved in the Delhi blast to Umar Mohammad alias Umar-un-Nabi - the suicide bomber.

The terror module, which is likely linked to the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed, had been planning the attack in the national capital for months, sources said. The group had been preparing 200 powerful Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) to target high-profile areas in Delhi, Gurugram, and Faridabad. Besides the i20 car used in the Delhi blast, the suspected suicide bomber and his key associates had procured two more cars from Delhi, sources added.

The doctors had used the secure messaging app Telegram to make terror plans using the names of common dishes to avoid drawing attention. The code words used included "biryani" (which meant explosive material) and "daawat" (referring to a specific event).

A white Hyundai i20 exploded near the Red Fort last week, with DNA tests confirming Umar as the suicide bomber.

The incident took place on a day when 2,900 kg of explosives were found just 50 km from the capital, in neighbouring Haryana's Faridabad. According to sources, Umar likely panicked and triggered the blast after investigators arrested two key members of the module, Shakeel and Rather - both residents of Kashmir - and seized the explosives.

Al-Falah University under scanner

The Al Falah University in Faridabad is at the centre of the white collar terror module and money laundering probes after its links with the terrorist behind the Delhi blast surfaced. The varsity's founder, Jawad Ahmed Siddiqui, was arrested earlier this week by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with a terror financing-linked money laundering case after two FIRs were filed recently by the Delhi Police Crime Branch against Al-Falah University over cases related to cheating and alleged forgery concerning accreditation documents.

Siddiqui was taken into custody under the criminal provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

At least 25 locations linked to Al-Falah University, including its headquarters in Okhla, were raided. During the searches, cash of over 48 lakhs, multiple digital devices and documentary evidence were found and seized.

The Faridabad police on Friday formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the Al-Falah University's activities.

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