The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a supplementary chargesheet against three more accused in the Red Fort blast case, which killed 11 people on November 10 last year. The accused include an absconding prime suspect, Muzafar Ahmad alias Faraz alias Zafar, along with Zameer Ahmad Ahanger and Tufail Ahmad Bhat, all from Jammu and Kashmir. Muzafar Ahmad, a paediatrician holding MBBS and MD degrees, is the elder brother of co-accused Dr Adeel Ahmed Rather and a founding member of AGuH Interim, an offshoot of Al-Qaeda. He is described as one of the principal architects behind the vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) blast. The agency has described AGuH Interim as an offshoot of Al-Qaeda. With this, the total number of persons chargesheeted in the case has increased to 13, including prime accused Dr Umar Un Nabi, who was driving the car that exploded near Red Fort and died.
According to the NIA, Muzafar Ahmad had attended a secret meeting at Eidgah in Srinagar in June 2022, where AGuH Interim terror module was formed. He played a central role in the manufacture, testing, and storage of TATP-based IEDs at a clandestine facility allegedly run by Umer and Muzammil at Al-Falah University, Faridabad. A non-bailable warrant has been issued against him, and efforts are under way to trace and arrest him.
Zameer Ahmad Ahanger, described as an overground worker of AGuH Interim, remained in active contact with handlers and acted as a courier for arms, ammunition, and cash for the module. Tufail Ahmad Bhat, a former overground worker of Lashkar-e-Taiba, allegedly served as the module’s arms supplier. He procured an AK-47, a Krinkov rifle, a pistol, magazines, and live ammunition via dead drops arranged by a handler and delivered them to the deceased main accused Dr Umar for Rs 3 lakh.
The chargesheet stated that arrested accused Zameer and Tufail have been booked under sections 13, 18, 20, 23, 38, and 39 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, and Sections 61(2), 147, 148, and 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The agency said it had established linkages among the accused through forensic testing, geo-location mapping of conspiracy sites, and financial trail analysis, and that further investigation in the case is continuing.
