Will hunt down culprits of terror blast from depths of netherworld: Shah

New Delhi, Nov 17:
In a strong message, Union Home Minister, Amit Shah on Monday said that the government will hunt down the culprits of the Delhi bomb blast even from the depths of the netherworld and ensure they receive the strictest possible punishment.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, while addressing the 32nd Northern Zonal Council meeting in Haryana’s Faridabad, issued a strong warning to the perpetrators, declaring that the government would “hunt down the culprits of the Delhi bomb blast even from the depths of the netherworld.” Paying respects to the victims of both the Delhi blast and the Nowgam Police Station explosion in Srinagar, Shah reaffirmed that eliminating terrorism from its roots remains a collective national commitment under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The suicide blast near the Red Fort last week claimed 13 lives and injured more than 30 people. The bomber, identified as 28-year-old Dr Umar Mohammad (also known as Umar un Nabi) from Pulwama, died at the spot after triggering a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED). Investigators believe his plan may have been hastily executed following the arrest of co-conspirator Dr Muzammil Ganaie and the seizure of huge quantities of explosives from a Faridabad safe house.
The Nowgam blast, in which nine persons-including a Naib Tehsildar and a State Investigating Agency officer-lost their lives, occurred when confiscated explosives linked to the same terror module detonated accidentally inside the police station. Shah observed two minutes of silence at the NZC meeting as a tribute to the victims.
The NIA has since widened its investigation, arresting several key players linked to Umar’s terror network that spanned Jammu & Kashmir, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and the National Capital Region. On Monday, a Delhi court granted the agency 10-day custody of Amir Rashid Ali, a resident of Pampore, who is alleged to have arranged a safe house in Faridabad, provided logistical support to Umar, and purchased the car used in the VBIED attack. NIA officials said Amir was likely the last person to meet Umar before the blast.
According to the agency, Amir’s custodial interrogation is crucial to unraveling the larger conspiracy that appears to involve a “white-collar” JeM-backed radicalisation and logistics module comprising doctors, students, and technically trained youth. Amir, they said, facilitated the procurement of the vehicle, stayed in the safe house arranged for Umar, and helped acquire materials used to assemble the IED.
In another major breakthrough, the NIA on Monday arrested Jasir Bilal Wani, alias Danish, from Srinagar. A political science graduate from Qazigund, Wani is believed to have been intensely radicalised by Umar over several months. He allegedly provided high-end technical support, modifying drones and attempting to design makeshift projectiles for future attacks. According to investigators, Wani had initially been groomed to become a suicide bomber himself but backed out citing financial hardship and religious inhibitions. He later shifted roles and assisted the network in technical preparations.
Officials said Umar un Nabi and his associates had been planning a large-scale VBIED attack around the Babri Masjid demolition anniversary on December 6. The blast was intended either in Delhi or at a place of religious significance. The plan fell apart after the arrest of Dr Muzammil Ganaie, a faculty member at Al Falah University, and the seizure of around 360 kg of explosive chemicals including ammonium nitrate, potassium nitrate, and sulphur.
Investigators believe the sudden setback in April triggered anxiety within Umar, pushing him to attempt the Red Fort strike prematurely. His radical transformation reportedly began after a 2021 trip to Turkiye with co-accused Muzammil, where they allegedly met operatives of the Jaish-e-Mohammed. Upon returning, the duo began stockpiling chemicals, identifying targets, and recruiting young OGWs across Kashmir.
The first public hint of the interstate network surfaced in October when JeM posters appeared on walls in Bunpora and Nowgam in Srinagar. Police scrutiny led to the arrest of three local youths, whose interrogation exposed the involvement of a Shopian-based Imam, Irfan Ahmad, who allegedly radicalised the doctor-module and facilitated their recruitment into the JeM-linked network.
So far, at least eight individuals have been arrested jointly by the NIA and J&K Police. Multiple NIA teams are conducting searches across states to identify every operative connected to the conspiracy. Authorities emphasised that the precision of the blast and the sophistication of the module indicate the involvement of well-funded handlers and international ideological influences.
Meanwhile, security across Delhi and major cities has been tightened, and surveillance on interstate movement of chemical consignments has been enhanced. Shah stressed during the NZC meeting that all states must work in seamless coordination, noting that zonal councils play a crucial role in strengthening India’s internal security architecture.
The NIA will now transport Amir to Kashmir for further questioning, where investigators expect to reconstruct the final hours leading up to the Red Fort blast. With multiple arrests and hundreds of leads under scrutiny, officials assert that the case is far from closed and that every layer of the terror web will be exposed.