Daijiworld Media Network - Srinagar
Srinagar, Dec 5: The Jammu and Kashmir State Investigation Agency (SIA) on Friday intensified its probe into the emerging “doctors’ terror module,” conducting fresh raids across Srinagar and Ganderbal. According to officials, the searches are linked to an ongoing investigation in which several medical professionals have been implicated.
Authorities confirmed that search operations were underway in Srinagar’s Batamaloo locality, the area where accused Tufail Ahmad Bhat — son of Niyaz Ahmad Bhat — had earlier been taken into custody. Parallel raids were also launched in the Wakura region of Ganderbal. Tufail was arrested from his residence in Diyarwani, Batamaloo, on November 22 as part of the same case.
The multi-state operation gained momentum after the J&K Police, with support from Haryana Police, dismantled what they described as a sophisticated, white-collar terror syndicate operating out of Faridabad and allegedly driven by medical professionals.
Investigations initially accelerated with the arrest of two overground workers (OGWs) of the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) outfit. Their interrogation led to the apprehension of Dr. Adil Rather from Qazigund in Kulgam district. Authorities later recovered an AK-47 rifle from his locker at the Government Medical College in Anantnag, where he had served until 2024.
Further questioning of Adil resulted in the arrest of another doctor, Dr. Muzammil Rather, hailing from Koil in Pulwama district. He was detained in Faridabad, where police discovered approximately 2,900 kg of explosives in his rented accommodation. Another alleged associate, Dr. Umar Nabi, escaped capture and later detonated an explosive-laden vehicle near Delhi’s Red Fort on November 10, killing 13 civilians and injuring several others.
The widening investigation also led to the arrest of Dr. Shaheen Saeed from Lucknow. All the apprehended medical professionals were employed at Al-Falah University in Faridabad, which has now come under scrutiny.
In subsequent developments, local doctor Umar Farooq of Qazigund and his wife, Shahzada Akhtar, were taken into custody for allegedly leveraging their social standing to radicalise young people. Shahzada is also accused of attempting to revive the once-active women’s extremist organisation Dukhtaran-e-Milat, which had largely ceased operations following the 2018 arrest of its leader, Asiya Andrabi.