Srinagar: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday carried out raids at eight locations in Pulwama, Shopian and Kulgam districts of Kashmir in connection with a “white-collar terror module” that was behind a car blast near Delhi’s Red Fort, officials said here.
The NIA teams conducted searches at the residence of Moulvi Irfan Ahmad Wagay in Shopian, officials said. Wagay has emerged as the mastermind of the radicalisation and recruitment of the ‘white-collar’ terror module busted early last month.
He was arrested by police in October, and the NIA took him into custody last month after taking over the probe into the car blast that left 15 people dead and several others injured.
Raids were also carried out at Koil, Chandgam, Malangpora and Samboora areas of Pulwama district, officials said, adding these locations were linked to people associated with the Delhi car blast case.
Additionally, the agency searched the residence of Dr Adeel Ahmad Rather, who was arrested from Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur in the first week of November.
Meanwhile, a statement issued by NIA said that various digital devices and other incriminating materials were seized during the searches conducted at the premises of several accused and suspects in the two states. A total of eight locations were searched in the districts of Shopian, Kulgam, Pulwama and Awantipora of J&K, and one location in Lucknow (U.P).
NIA had earlier, on 26th and 27th November, conducted extensive searches at the premises of the prime accused, Dr Muzammil Shakeel Ganie and Dr Shaheen Saeed, in the Al Falah University complex and other places in Faridabad (Haryana), the statement said, adding, a huge quantity of cash, foreign currency, gold and other incriminating materials were seized during those searches, and the same are being minutely examined to unravel the conspiracy that culminated in the bombing.
The anti-terror agency has arrested 07 key accused so far in the case RC-21/2025/NIA/DLI. NIA teams are questioning the arrested accused while continuing to pursue various leads in connection with the November 10 blast outside the Red Fort in Delhi. Eleven persons were killed and several others injured in the deadly terror attack, the statement said.
It said that NIA continues to work closely with various state police forces to track and arrest every member of the terrorist module involved in the bomb attack
