'White-Collar' Terror Module: Radicalised Doctors Formed ‘Ansar Interim’ to Carry Out Attacks

New Delhi: In a fresh development in the ‘white-collar’ terror module busted by Jammu and Kashmir Police, they have found that the arrested doctors were allegedly radicalised as early as 2016 and formed a new outfit, “Ansar Interim”, to carry out subversive activities in the Union Territory and beyond, officials said on Sunday.

As per reports, a meeting was held at Eidgah in downtown Srinagar in April 2022, where the accused doctors Muzamil Gannie, Umer-un Nabi (now deceased) and Adeel Rather, along with Muzzafar Rather (absconding), Maulvi Irfan, Qari Aamir and Tufail Gazi, allegedly formalised the structure of the group.

During the meeting, Adeel Rather was reportedly designated as the ‘Ameer’, or chief, of the organisation, Maulvi Irfan as Deputy Ameer, and Muzamil Gannie was assigned the responsibility of managing finances. 

NIA takes over probe

The case was later taken over by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which has been conducting searches and arrests in connection with the module.

Earlier on Friday, NIA teams carried out searches at Government Medical College (GMC) Anantnag as part of the ongoing probe and examined locations linked to the case, following earlier recoveries that allegedly pointed to the involvement of professionals in terror-linked activities.

Among the key recoveries was a rifle allegedly found in the locker of Dr Adeel Ahmad Rather, a former senior resident doctor at GMC Anantnag. Rather is among the nine persons arrested when the module was first exposed.

The investigation also led to the seizure of large quantities of explosives and bomb-making material from Faridabad in Haryana, linking the network to the Delhi car blast case near the Red Fort last year.

Link to Delhi blast near Red Fort

One of the key accused, Dr Umer-un Nabi, who later died in an explosion involving an explosive-laden vehicle outside the Red Fort on November 10, had allegedly made multiple failed attempts to join active terror groups in 2016 and 2018.

The blast near the Red Fort in Delhi had killed 12 persons and injured several others. 

The agency also arrested another key accused, Yasir Ahmad Dar, identified as the ninth person held in connection with the November 10 attack. A resident of Shopian in Srinagar, Dar was nabbed by the NIA from New Delhi.

Allegations of encrypted coordination

Investigators have described the network as a “white-collar” terror module, alleging that doctors, engineers and other professionals were involved in providing logistical support, procuring weapons and explosives, and coordinating through encrypted communication channels.

The NIA said its investigation revealed that Yasir Ahmad Dar was an active participant in the November 10 terror attack in Delhi and had allegedly sworn allegiance and taken an oath to carry out self-sacrificial operations.

The probe is ongoing, and officials indicated that further arrests and searches are likely as investigators continue to examine the wider network and its interstate links.

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