Kashmiri doctor who escaped to Afghanistan named key suspect in Delhi blast probe

Kashmiri doctor turned terror mastermind

Jammu and Kashmir Police have identified Dr Muzaffar Ahmad Rather, the brother of arrested accused Dr Adeel Ahmad Rather, as the main coordinator and foreign link in the terror module of doctors that allegedly engineered the Red Fort blast in Delhi earlier this week.

According to J&K Police sources quoted by CNN-News18, Muzaffar, originally from Pulwama and currently believed to be in Afghanistan, served as the intermediary between the core group in India and their Pakistan-based handler operating out of Afghanistan.

An MBBS graduate from Jammu with an MD in Paediatrics from Kashmir, Muzaffar was reportedly in contact with Ukasha, suspected to be directing Jaish-linked networks from Afghanistan. Investigators believe Muzaffar and co-accused Dr Muzammil Shakeel travelled to Istanbul in 2022 to meet Ukasha, where funding and operational strategies were finalised. The Red Fort bombing plan is thought to have evolved from those discussions.

Police sources said Muzaffar coordinated activities from Dubai, handling encrypted communications, financial transactions, and logistics through secure online channels. After his brother’s arrest in India, Muzaffar allegedly moved to Afghanistan, continuing to issue operational directives remotely.

He is also accused of playing a “pivotal role in radicalising his younger brother Adeel” and introducing him to Dr Umar Nabi, Dr Muzammil Shakeel, and cleric Maulvi Irfan, all members of the so-called “white-collar terror module.”

Sources further allege that Muzaffar personally instructed Umar to execute the Delhi blast after authorities disrupted an earlier plan for a Pulwama-style car bombing in Kashmir. His communications with Afghan and Pakistani networks reportedly intensified just before the explosion.

Described as an “ambitious ideologue” by investigators, Muzaffar had long admired the Taliban regime and aspired to work under Sharia-based governance. He and his associates allegedly stockpiled arms, ammunition, and nearly 3,000 kg of explosives in Faridabad hideouts. Authorities suspect his August 2025 trip to the UAE was a prelude to his move to Afghanistan and that a wider network of professional sympathisers may still be active across Indian cities.