New Delhi: The probe into the Red Fort car blast has revealed that a major recruitment drive was launched in Jammu and Kashmir, which eventually led to the setting up of the Faridabad module in the NCR.
While the police have been able to largely ascertain that it was the Faridabad module that carried out the attack, the agencies have learnt that the recruitment drive was launched in Jammu and Kashmir.
The agencies say that Maulvi Irfan Ahmed, who was a paramedical at the GMC Srinagar, led the radicalisation drive.
Ahmed, who was also an Imam at a mosque in Nougat, remained in touch with all the students at the GMC Srinagar. This explains why the module had so many doctors who were part of it.
Ahmed’s name cropped up after the Jammu and Kashmir police launched a probe into the Jaish-e-Mohammad module. There were posters of the outfit that had come up at Srinagar on October 27, which led the police to launch the probe.
The police started out by arresting three overground workers, who revealed the name of Ahmed.
Following this, the police were able to catch up to Dr Adeel Ahmad Rather and Zameer Ahanga, who were closely associated with the Maulvi. The police then got leads on Dr Muzammil, who was working at the Al Fatah University in Faridabad.
Links between the suspected bomber, Dr Umar, and the Maulvi have also come to light during the probe.
While the police have managed to bust a major module of the Jaish, which was planning attacks pan-India, they have also seized explosive material in massive quantities.
In one operation, 350 kg of ammonium nitrate was seized, while in another, the seizure amounted to 2,563 kg. This itself shows the kind of buildup that had taken place.
Officials say that the quantity of the explosives that had been stocked up clearly points towards the bigger agenda that the Jaish had.
Irfan was hand-picked by Jaish as he was inspired by their ideology for long. He would regularly keep in touch with the younger generation and radicalise them. He would also urge them to join the outfit.
The agencies say that the Maulvi would use the videos of Jaish-e-Mohammad leaders to carry out his radicalisation drive. It was a well-oiled network, a police official said.
Irfan would lead the drive while Uber and Muzammil would take the agenda beyond Jammu and Kashmir.
The police have also learnt that Irfan’s handlers were based out of Afghanistan, and he would regularly keep in touch with them through Telegram. He had created multiple accounts on Telegram, and apart from keeping in touch with his handlers, he would also circulate the propaganda of the Jaish among them.
It was during this drive that the Maulvi suggested that a women’s wing of the outfit be opened in India. The job of this wing was to focus on radicalisation and recruitment.
Terror groups such as the Lashkar-e-Taiba and the Jaish have been focusing on women-centric wings for some time now. The Maulvi had appointed Dr Shaheen Saeed to head this wing. She had made multiple visits to Jammu and Kashmir during which she met Irfan, and he had instructed her on how to go about her work. She was also instructed to recruit as many women as possible and spread the radicalisation drive beyond Jammu and Kashmir.
During phase one of their plans, this group focused extensively on Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana. According to officials, they had planned on gradually spreading their network beyond these places, another official added.
(IANS)
