White-collar terror module sought suicide bomber for a year; doctors among key conspirators, say investigators
New Delhi/Srinagar: A “white-collar terror module” comprising medical professionals had been scouting for a suicide bomber for nearly a year, according to investigators probing the November 10 Red Fort blast.
Officials have revealed that the operation was being orchestrated by Dr. Umar Nabi, who is believed to have been driving the Hyundai i20 that exploded near the iconic monument, killing 13 people and injuring over 24.
According to interrogation inputs, Dr. Umar was a “hard-line fundamentalist” who insisted that the group’s plans required the use of a suicide attacker. One arrested co-accused told investigators that Umar repeatedly argued that the organisation needed a fidayeen to execute its major operation in Delhi.
‘White Collar’ Terror Module Was Scouting For Suicide Bomber Since Last Year: Officials
Read | https://t.co/xzdDo2otgp pic.twitter.com/BYP0UjL0d7— Daily Excelsior (@DailyExcelsior1) November 16, 2025
Officials revealed that the accused had met the doctor-led terror group last October at a mosque in Kulgam, Kashmir. After this, he was taken to a rented room near Al-Falah University in Faridabad, where the group allegedly attempted to recruit him as an overground worker for the banned Jaish-e-Mohammed. Umar is said to have spent months persuading him to become a suicide bomber.
The man refused, citing financial problems and religious reasons, stating that Islam forbids suicide. With this refusal, officials say, the terror plan briefly collapsed in April.
Terror outfits now targeting youth with clean background
Senior security officials in Srinagar say terror recruitment patterns in Jammu & Kashmir have undergone a significant shift in recent years. Organisations are increasingly targeting highly educated youth who have no criminal history or separatist connections.
This trend was evident in the backgrounds of the three arrested accused—Dr. Adil Rathers, his brother Dr. Muzaffar Rathers, and Dr. Muzammil Gani—all of whom were found to have no previous connection with militancy or unlawful activities. Even Dr. Umar Nabi, who died in the explosion, came from a family with no links to separatist groups.
Investigators suspect that terror networks operating across Kashmir and along the Pakistan border are deliberately recruiting educated youth with spotless records, making detection by security forces more difficult.
A senior official remarked that it was nearly unimaginable for an entire group of doctors to be involved in a major terror plot, yet the Red Fort investigation has revealed exactly that.
9mm cartridges recovered from blast site
Security agencies examining the blast site recovered three cartridges—two live rounds and one empty shell—believed to be 9mm ammunition normally issued only to security forces or those with special permissions.
Officials clarified that the cartridges did not belong to any personnel deployed at the location, raising suspicion that they were carried by the accused.
Meanwhile, agencies are reconstructing the final movements of Dr. Umar Nabi—from the time he left Faridabad, travelled to Nuh in Haryana, and then proceeded to Delhi—before the fatal blast.
The November 10 explosion in the Hyundai i20 near Red Fort claimed 13 lives and left over two dozen injured, triggering a large-scale multi-agency probe that continues to widen as new leads emerge.
