Prof, cardiology student held; more attacks planned in 4 cities; Al Falah's varsity status revoked

A medical college professor and a cardiology student, both from Jammu and Kashmir, were detained in Uttar Pradesh in connection with the Delhi blast even as investigators said more attacks were planned in four cities across the country by an interstate 'white-collar terror' module. Meanwhile, the government on Thursday ordered a forensic audit of all records of the Al Falah University, which is under the scanner following the Delhi blast, besides asking the ED and other financial investigative agencies to check the money trail of the Haryana-based institution, sources said. The car blast near Red Fort on Monday night claimed 13 lives and injured several others.

In the evening, the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) suspended the university's membership, saying it "does not appear to be in good standing". The National Assessment and Accreditation Council had earlier issued a show-cause notice to Al Falah University for displaying false certification on its website. Dr Farukh, an assistant professor of obstetrics at Hapur's GS Medical College, was detained by Delhi Police from the college campus on Wednesday night. He completed his medical education from Al Falah University. Mohammad Arif Mir (32), a first-year DM student at Laxmipat Singhania Institute of Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery of the state-run Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Memorial (GSVM) Medical College in Kanpur, was detained by the Uttar Pradesh ATS. The UP ATS later searched Arif's rented accommodation in Ashok Nagar, Nazirabad, and seized his mobile phone and laptop for forensic examination before taking him to Delhi for questioning. A native of the Khagur Sadiwara area in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag, Arif came on the ATS radar following disclosures made by former GSVM professor Dr Shaheen Sayeed, who has been arrested in connection with the terror module.

The Delhi Police also reconstructed Dr Umar Nabi's last hours, right from leaving Faridabad the night before the blast to its execution, using footage from more than 50 cameras. The investigators have found that the three suspects - Dr Nabi, who was behind the wheels of the Hyundai i20 that was laden with explosives, Dr Muzammil Ahmad Ganaie, and Dr Shaheen Shahid - allegedly used a Switzerland-based encrypted messaging app Threema to plan and coordinate their activities related to the terror conspiracy. Umar had also created a Signal app group with two to four members to coordinate their operations. During the day, a high-level meeting chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah reviewed for one-and-a-half hours the progress of the ongoing investigation. "An order has been issued to carry out a forensic audit of all records of Al Falah University. The ED (Enforcement Directorate) and other financial agencies were also asked by the government to check the money trail of Al Falah University," a source said after the meeting. The Congress demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should immediately chair an all-party meeting and the Winter Session of Parliament, scheduled to start on December 1, be advanced so that there could be a debate on the incident. Congress' media and publicity department head Pawan Khera called for fixing of accountability, asking whether Home Minister Shah take responsibility, given that several major terror attacks have occurred. Police, investigating the blast, said the suspects had pooled more than Rs 26 lakh in cash, which was handed over to Dr Umar for safekeeping and operational use. Using the pooled money, the group had allegedly purchased around 26 quintals of NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) fertiliser, approximately worth Rs 3 lakh, from suppliers in Gurugram, Nuh, and nearby towns. The fertiliser, mixed with other chemicals, is commonly used to manufacture Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). Around eight suspects were planning to carry out blasts in four cities and were planning to move in batches of two to each city to target them, police sources said.

Notebooks and diaries recovered from the rooms of Dr. Muzammil (Room 13) and Dr. Umar (Room 4) at the campus of Al Falah University contained several coded entries, names, and numerical sequences dated between November 8 and 12, suggesting detailed planning for multiple attacks. They also had rented accommodations to store explosives. The repeated use of the term "operation" in the documents pointed to a high-level of coordination and organisation. Investigators found references to around 25-30 individuals, primarily from Jammu and Kashmir -- the home state of the two doctors -- as well as from Faridabad and adjoining areas, shedding light on the structure and reach of what officials are calling a "white coat terror module". Umar, who was known as an academically accomplished professional in his circle, allegedly turned radical over the past two years. Investigators said he had joined several radical messaging groups on social media. While one car was used during the blast carried out near Red Fort, two others, a red Ford Ecosport and a Maruti Brezza car have been seized by security agencies. A senior police officer said a large bag - believed to have contained explosives - was placed on the back seat of the car driven by Dr Umar, as he travelled to Delhi ahead of the blast. The chilling hours of his journey from Haryana to the national capital have been pieced together bit by bit in a route-mapping exercise, showing how he halted for food at a roadside eatery near Delhi-Mumbai expressway and spent the night inside his car before entering the national capital the next morning. According to police sources, Umar's movements indicate meticulous planning and deliberate attempts to avoid detection. A police source said he started on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway on Sunday and then got off the expressway, reaching Firozpur Jhirka in Haryana's Nuh district. He reportedly stopped at a roadside dhaba there and spent the night inside his car. "He appeared to be hiding but not in panic. He avoided major towns, preferring highways and small eateries," the police source said. Later, on Monday morning, he was again seen on CCTV cameras installed along the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, driving slowly toward Delhi. The footage shows him stopping twice, once for tea and once apparently to check his mobile phone.

Police said Umar entered Delhi the following morning through the Badarpur border, using the same route he had taken earlier from Faridabad. "He seemed to have planned every step, including his entry and exit routes, to avoid detection," said the police source. In the footage from the Badarpur toll plaza, Umar can be seen driving a white Hyundai i20 car and stopping at the toll gate around 8.02 am on November 10, the day of the explosion. The car pauses briefly as Umar takes out cash and hands it to the toll operator before proceeding. Meanwhile, a severed hand was also found on the roof of a shop behind Jain Mandir, several metres away from the blast site on Thursday morning. The death toll rose to 13 after another injured person Bilal succumbed to his injuries at the LNJP Hospital here. The DNA test of samples collected from the Red Fort blast site has confirmed that Dr Nabi was driving the car that exploded on Monday.