The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday said it has filed a second chargesheet against three more people in the November 2025 car bomb blast near Delhi’s Red Fort, including an absconding doctor and two over-the-ground workers (OGWs) of terror outfits.
One of the key persons named in the second indictment, Muzaffar Ahmed, alias Faraz, Pediatrician (MBBS, MD), is on the run. The other two are Zameer Ahmad Ahanjar and Tufail Ahmad Bhat.
The first indictment was filed on May 14 naming 10 defendants.
The Federal Counter-Terrorism Investigation Agency said in a statement that Muzaffar Ahmed is the founding member of the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind group, and is also the “chief architect” of the bomb plot in which 12 people were killed, including suicide bomber Dr Omar Nabi.
Earlier, four doctors, including his younger brother – Adeel Ahmed Rather – were among 10 people accused in the previous indictment.
“The fugitive accused Muzaffar Ahmed has been identified as the elder brother of co-accused Dr. Adeel Ahmed Rather (detained) and a founding member of AGuH Interim – an offshoot of Al Qaeda. The NIA investigation revealed that Muzaffar Ahmed is one of the key engineers, along with co-accused Omar, Muzammil Shakeel, Adeel Rather and Mufti Irfan, in the conspiracy that led to the explosion of a deadly car-borne explosive device. The NIA said in its statement: “(Car) explosion Booby-trapped.
“Muzaffar Ahmad attended the secret Idgah meeting in Srinagar in June 2022, during which the ‘interim’ AGuH terrorist unit was established,” the agency said, adding that he was “deeply involved in the manufacture, testing and preservation of TATP-based IEDs at a secret IED facility run by Dr. Omar Unnabi and Muzammil Shakeel at Al Falah University in Faridabad.”
The agency said a non-bailable warrant has been issued against him and efforts are being made to trace him.
The National Intelligence Agency said that Zamir Ahmad Ahanger worked in this branch and was “in active contact with his handlers” and “worked as a courier for weapons, ammunition and funds for the terrorist unit.”
Read also:The Red Fort bombing is part of Al Qaeda’s Operation Heavenly India, according to the NIA indictment
The third accused, Tufail Ahmed Bhat, is a former member of Lashkar-e-Taiba’s OGW and worked as an “arms supplier” for it.
“Bhatt had purchased one AK-47 rifle, one Krenkov rifle, one pistol and live ammunition magazines through dead drops organized by a handler and handed them over to the deceased bomber Dr Omar Nabi for him.” $3 lakh,” NIA said.
The officials said that the accused were charged under various sections dealing with terrorism charges in the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Act.
Earlier, in May, the agency said the operation, which was primarily planned by a group of self-radicalized medical professionals, was called “Celestial Indies.”
“Under the umbrella of the newly formed group, they launched ‘Operation Heavenly India’ with the aim of overthrowing India’s democratically established government and imposing Sharia rule. They recruited new members, actively spread violent jihadi ideology, stockpiled weapons and ammunition, and manufactured large-scale explosives using commercially available chemicals. They also manufactured and tested various types of explosive devices,” the agency said in May.
AGuH was formed in July 2017 by Zakir Rasheed Bhat alias Zakir Musa, who was once a close aide of Burhan Wani, after he broke away from Hizbul Mujahideen. In the initial days, AGuH coordinated with other groups in Jammu and Kashmir, but a sustained crackdown by security forces brought its activities to an end. Officials in the intelligence community said AGuH is not widely accepted in Kashmir. After Musa was killed by security forces in May 2019, it became disabled.
The National Intelligence Agency said on Saturday that its investigations into the bomb explosion were continuing.
