White collar terror module: Pulwama electrician detained by J&K Police, probe on to ascertain his role

Visuals from Red Fort blast site

The Jammu and Kashmir Police’s State Investigation Agency (SIA) on Saturday detained another suspect who is believed to be part of the alleged “white collar” terror network behind the Red Fort blast that killed 13 people on November 10.

The arrested man has been identified as Tufail Niyaz Bhat and is an electrician from Pulwama. Officials said he has been taken into custody for questioning and investigators are probing his role in the matter.

According to a local CID official quoted by Hindustan Times, “concrete evidence” has emerged that points to Bhat's role in planning of the explosion, which ultimately led to his arrest in the case.

Agencies are now working to determine how deeply he was involved in the module’s operations.

The investigation into the terror network began in mid-October when Srinagar Police launched a detailed probe into posters that appeared on walls in Nowgam, warning police personnel and security forces.

Led by senior superintendent of police Dr GV Sundeep Chakravarthy, the probe initially focused on CCTV surveillance and soon resulted in the arrest of three suspects, identified as Arif Nisar Dar alias Sahil, Yasir ul Ashraf and Maqsood Ahmad Dar alias Shahid.

When these suspects were questioned, officers found out about former paramedic-turned-Imam Maulvi Irfan Ahmad, who is now accused of distributing the threatening posters and influencing others involved in the operation.

Investigators close to the matter now believe that this was the first sign that the case was bigger than it appeared and was linked to a larger ideologically motivated network rather than a standalone threat.

The trail soon extended beyond Kashmir. Police later raided Al-Falah University in Faridabad, where Dr Muzzafar Ganaie and Dr Shaheen Saeed were arrested and nearly 2,900 kilograms of explosive materials were recovered.

This seizure suggested a level of planning and logistics that investigators described as “exceptionally organised".

Following that, the explosion near the Red Fort area in Delhi took place on November 10.