SRINAGAR: Federal investigators are moving to secure an Interpol Red Corner Notice against Dr Muzaffar Rather, a paediatrician from south Kashmir, for his alleged role in providing logistical support and funding for the deadly November 10 car bomb blast near Delhi’s Red Fort that killed 15 people, officials said in Delhi on Sunday.
Rather, named as a key accused in the so-called white-collar terror module, has already been declared a proclaimed offender by a special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court. Officials allege that he played a central role in logistics, funding, communication and planning of the attack, operating from abroad after fleeing India weeks before the blast.
According to investigators, Rather emerged as a primary co-conspirator who provided critical support from Afghan soil to Dr Umar-un-Nabi, the driver of the explosive-laden vehicle that detonated outside the Red Fort. Officials allege that Rather orchestrated major aspects of the attack from overseas, maintaining continuous contact with Umar and Afghanistan-based handlers.
Investigators have traced a network of logistics, encrypted communications and radicalisation activities leading to suspected safe havens in Afghanistan, where Rather is believed to be hiding. Officials said Umar carried out the suicide attack with assistance from Rather and handlers based in Afghanistan, who provided funding, communication channels and operational planning.
“Rather’s role was particularly significant in liaison and financing. He allegedly facilitated communication between the attackers in India and handlers abroad, including bomb-making inputs and operational tactics,” an official involved in the probe told the media.
Rather is believed to have left India in mid-August last year, shortly before the Delhi blast. Officials said he first travelled to Dubai and later crossed into Afghanistan, from where he is suspected to have coordinated parts of the operation.
Interrogation of other arrested accused in the module has revealed that Rather allegedly helped raise funds for the plot and contributed around Rs 6 lakh to the network’s financial pool.
The investigation has also uncovered that in 2021, Rather travelled to Turkey along with Dr Muzammil Ahmad Ganaie and Umar. Authorities believe the trip was aimed at establishing contact with external handlers or exploring transit routes towards Afghanistan. Although the group did not enter Afghanistan at the time, investigators consider the journey part of their radicalisation and preparatory activities.
After returning to India, Rather, Umar and Ganaie, who taught at Al Falah University in Faridabad, allegedly began procuring large quantities of chemicals from the open market, including around 360 kg of ammonium nitrate, potassium nitrate and sulphur. Much of the material was stored near the university campus. In a subsequent crackdown, investigators seized nearly 2,900 kg of explosive material linked to the module.
The terror plot began to unravel after Srinagar police arrested Ganaie and seized the explosives. Officials believe the action caused Umar to panic, triggering what they describe as a “premature” explosion outside the Red Fort.
The wider conspiracy came to light following the appearance of banned Jaish-e-Mohammad posters in Bunpora, Nowgam, on the outskirts of Srinagar on October 19 last year. Srinagar police registered a case, analysed CCTV footage and arrested three local residents, Arif Nisar Dar alias Sahil, Yasir-ul-Ashraf and Maqsood Ahmad Dar alias Shahid, all of whom had previous stone-pelting cases.
Their interrogation led to the arrest of Maulvi Irfan Ahmad, a former paramedic-turned-imam from Shopian, who allegedly supplied the posters and used his position to radicalise the doctors. The trail ultimately led investigators to Al Falah University in Faridabad, where further arrests were made and explosives were seized.
With the proposed Interpol Red Corner Notice, security agencies hope to intensify international efforts to trace, detain and extradite Rather, as investigations continue into the module’s interstate and international terror links.
