(Image source from: Timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
Just a day after authorities found 350 kg of explosives along with various weapons and ammunition in a rented place, another 2,563 kg of suspected explosives was discovered in a different house located in Faridabad, Haryana. Both residences were rented by Dr Mujammil Shakeel, a physician from Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir, who has become a significant figure within a "white-collar" terrorist network involving radicalized professional individuals. According to the early police inquiry, the substance that was found is believed to be ammonium nitrate.
Since this morning, the police from both Faridabad and Jammu and Kashmir have been searching the house. Shakeel, who is employed at Al Falah Medical College and Hospital in Faridabad, was recently taken into custody over this matter. Al Falah University, situated in Dhoj, Faridabad, is a private institution recognized by the University Grants Commission (UGC) and is located about 45 km from Delhi.
On Sunday, officials recovered 350 kilograms of explosives, along with 20 timers, assault rifles, handguns, and ammunition from a room that Shakeel had been renting in Dhoj for the last three and a half years. The police apprehended him ten days ago when evidence connected him to Jaish-e-Mohammed was found. During the raid, a pistol with eight live rounds, two used cartridges, and two extra magazines were seized. Additionally, eight large suitcases, four smaller suitcases, and a bucket were also taken from Shakeel's room. The second house, belonging to a maulana, is located in Fatehpur Taga village, just 4 kilometers away from Dhoj. The maulana was arrested by police earlier the same day. Authorities have discovered a network of radicalized professional individuals, many of whom are doctors, engaged in terrorist activities after conducting raids in several areas across Jammu and Kashmir (Srinagar, Anantnag, Ganderbal, and Shopian) and Faridabad in recent days. This combined operation by the Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir Police, ongoing for the past 15 days, has led to the recovery of over 2,900 kg of materials used to make bombs.
Previously, Dr Adil Ahmad Rather, a physician from Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh, was apprehended for allegedly putting up posters that supported the banned terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammed in Srinagar. Following Shakeel's interrogation, the Faridabad police also found a Swift car that belongs to a female doctor at Al-Falah Hospital. Inside the vehicle, an assault rifle and a pistol were recovered. The woman doctor has since been arrested. Those involved in the terrorist network are managed by handlers situated in Pakistan and other countries, engaging in various terrorist activities, which includes pasting posters in support of such groups.
In addition to Shakeel and Rather, five other individuals have been arrested, including Arif Nisar Dar, Yasir-ul-Ashraf, and Maqsood Ahmad Dar from Srinagar, Molvi Irfan Ahmad from Shopian, and Zameer Ahmad Ahanger from Ganderbal, according to intelligence sources. Aside from the weapons and explosive materials, authorities have also seized incriminating paperwork, including pamphlets on how to create improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
