GURGAON/SRINAGAR: A Kashmiri medical professor’s arrest has triggered one of the largest counterterrorism hauls in recent years, with investigators in J&K, Haryana and UP uncovering nearly 2,900kg of IED-making material, multiple assault rifles, pistols, chemicals, electronics and flammable substances.
Police said a transnational module tied to
Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Ansar Ghazwatul-Hind had allegedly embedded itself within academic and professional circles, using encrypted channels, charitable fronts and university networks to move funds, radicalise recruits and assemble explosives. The investigation began after threatening JeM posters appeared at several locations in Srinagar’s Bunpora Nowgam area on Oct 19.
An FIR under UAPA, Explosive Substances Act, and Arms Act was filed at Nowgam police station. Tracking the trail led police to what they described as a “whitecollar terror ecosystem” of radicalised professionals and students allegedly in touch with handlers in Pakistan and other countries.
Muzamil Shakeel, 35, a doctor from J&K’s Pulwama teaching at Al-Falah University in Faridabad’s Dhauj, was arrested Oct 30 after J&K police linked him to the posters. He managed the university hospital’s emergency wing and taught medical students. His questioning led Haryana and J&K police to two rented locations in Dhauj. Searches on Saturday at a room he allegedly took 15 days before his arrest yielded 358kg of suspected ammonium nitrate, a Krinkov assault rifle with three magazines, 83 live cartridges, a pistol, & bomb-making paraphernalia.
Searches on Saturday at a room Muzamil Shakeel allegedly took 15 days before his arrest yielded arms, ammunition, explosive material and bomb-making paraphernalia: 12 suitcases and a bucket packed with explosives, 20 timers, batteries, remote controls, 5kg heavy metal, and a walkie-talkie set.
Searches expanded Monday to Dehar Colony, also in Dhauj, where police found an additional 2,563kg of explosives and flammable material. Seized weapons include a Chinese pistol, a Beretta pistol, an AK-56 rifle, and a Krinkov rifle — all with ammunition. “The sheer volume of material points to plans for large-scale terrorist attacks,” a police officer said.
Faridabad police spokesperson Yashpal said teams were working to identify accomplices, trace procurement chains, and determine the weapons’ source. “Raids are being carried out at multiple locations linked to the accused,” he said.
Investigators have detained several people allegedly connected to Muzamil, including a religious scholar from a mosque near the university. Police said they are probing whether laboratory facilities at Al-Falah University were intended for synthesising advanced explosives such as RDX.
An AK-47 allegedly linked to Muzamil was found in the Swift Dzire of a woman doctor from the same university. Officers said she has not been arrested and may have loaned her vehicle without knowing its use, but her role remains under scrutiny. She is currently being questioned in J&K.
Before Muzamil’s arrest, UP’s Saharanpur police detained another Pulwama doctor — Adeel Majeed Rather. His interrogation led investigators to Dhauj and uncovered Muzamil’s alleged storage facility.
Faridabad police commissioner Satender Kumar Gupta said a terrorist module was being designed. “Though I cannot reveal much as it concerns national security, joint teams of Haryana and J&K police have successfully busted a major terrorist net-work,” he said, adding that more arrests were expected.
J&K police announced a broader breakthrough, calling it a “major counterterrorism operation” that dismantled an inter-state and transnational module linked to JeM and AGuH. Arrests include Arif Nisar Dar alias Sahil and Yasir-ul-Ashraf of Nowgam, Maqsood Ahmad Dar alias Shahid of Nowgam, Molvi Irfan Ahmad of Shopian, Zameer Ahmad Ahanger of Ganderbal, Dr Muzammil Ahmad Ganaie of Koil in Pulwama, and Dr Rather of Kulgam. Searches were carried out across Srinagar, Anantnag, Ganderbal, and Shopian, along with coordinated operations in Faridabad and Saharanpur.
“Financial investigation regarding flow of funds is on and all linkages are being traced and addressed expeditiously,” police said, adding that the operation reflects determination to dismantle alleged terrorist networks operating across state lines and from foreign soil.