Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Jul 6: A Special Court of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday extended the judicial custody of nine accused in the Red Fort blast case till July 13, when it is also expected to examine a forensic report submitted by the agency and consider the chargesheets filed against the accused.
According to defence counsel, the Special NIA Court at the Patiala House Courts complex will scrutinise the forensic findings related to the body parts of those killed in the November 10, 2025, vehicle-borne bomb explosion near the Red Fort, which claimed 11 lives.
The forensic report was submitted by the NIA following an extensive scientific examination of the evidence collected during the investigation.
Last month, on June 27, the NIA filed a supplementary chargesheet against three additional accused—Zameer Ahmad Ahanger, Tufail Ahmad Bhat and absconding accused Muzafar Ahmad alias Faraz alias Zafar, all residents of Jammu and Kashmir.
With the latest supplementary chargesheet, the total number of accused named in the case has risen to 13, including the alleged mastermind, Umer Un Nabi, who was killed when the explosive-laden vehicle detonated.
According to the NIA, absconding accused Muzafar Ahmad, a qualified paediatrician holding MBBS and MD degrees, is the elder brother of co-accused Adeel Ahmad Rather and one of the founding members of AGuH Interim, an alleged offshoot of Al-Qaeda.
The agency alleged that Muzafar, along with co-accused Umer Un Nabi, Muzammil, Adeel and Mufti Irfan, played a central role in planning the conspiracy that culminated in the deadly Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Device (VBIED) attack.
Investigators claimed that Muzafar attended a clandestine meeting at Eidgah in Srinagar in June 2022, where the AGuH Interim module was allegedly formed. The NIA further alleged that he was actively involved in the manufacture, testing and storage of TATP-based improvised explosive devices at a secret facility allegedly operated by Umer and Muzammil at Al-Falah University in Faridabad.
A non-bailable warrant has already been issued against Muzafar, and efforts to trace and arrest him are continuing.
The NIA also alleged that Zameer Ahmad Ahanger functioned as an overground worker (OGW) for the terror module, maintaining contact with handlers and acting as a courier for arms, ammunition and funds.
According to the agency, Tufail Ahmad Bhat, a former overground worker associated with the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), procured an AK-47 rifle, a Krinkov rifle, a pistol, magazines and live ammunition through a dead-drop network allegedly managed by a handler. The weapons were subsequently delivered to Umer Un Nabi for Rs 3 lakh, investigators claimed.
In the supplementary chargesheet, Zameer and Tufail have been booked under multiple provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Muzafar has been charged under additional provisions of the BNS, the Explosive Substances Act, and the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act for his alleged role in the conspiracy.
The NIA stated that it established links between the accused through a multidisciplinary investigation involving forensic examination, geo-location mapping of alleged conspiracy sites and detailed analysis of financial transactions.