Red Fort Car Blast: NIA Unravels ‘White-Collar’ Terror Web with Jaish-e-Mohammed Links
New Delhi /Shimla| November 13, 2025:
The car bomb blast near Delhi’s Red Fort Metro Station that killed 12 people and injured over 20 last week has opened a chilling new chapter in India’s terrorism network.
It is one that no longer hides in the shadows of Kashmir but now wears a white coat and holds a degree. But this in no way should mean that all who wear the white coat or black coat approved of terrorism.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA), probing what it calls a “white-collar terror module,” has stumbled upon an elaborate network of radicalised professionals, including doctors and university scholars, allegedly linked to the Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM).
The Blast That Shook Delhi’s Heart
It was just past 6 pm on November 10 when a white Hyundai i20 exploded near the Red Fort Metro station — a site swarming with evening commuters and tourists.
The impact ripped through nearby vehicles and shops, scattering debris across a 100-metre stretch.
The car, investigators now confirm, was driven by Dr Umar Mohammad, an assistant professor at Al-Falah University in Faridabad.
Once seen as a promising medical academic, Dr Umar is now alleged to be the Indian face of a transnational terror syndicate operating through digital funding networks traced to Istanbul and Doha.
2,900 kg Explosives Stockpiled for a Nationwide Attack
In coordinated raids across Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Jammu & Kashmir, NIA and other investigating Police teams recovered 2,900 kg of explosives, detonators, and electronic timers.
Officials suspect the cache was meant for a string of attacks across major cities, planned to coincide with the upcoming Republic Day celebrations.
“This was no random blast. It was part of a larger, synchronised plan to create panic and symbolically strike at India’s historic and cultural core,” a senior officer said, requesting anonymity.
Doctors Turned Militants
The investigation has revealed the involvement of at least 15 individuals, including medical practitioners from J&K, UP, and Haryana.
Some of them, sources say, were recruited during online faith-based discussions before being trained via encrypted channels.
“These are educated minds radicalised to weaponise their knowledge. That’s the new, dangerous face of terrorism — it’s no longer about guns alone, but intellect used against the very system that nurtured it,” said a top counterterror expert.
Jaish Handlers and Gulf Funding Trail
Preliminary digital forensics have confirmed regular money transfers from accounts linked to Istanbul and Doha — routed through cryptocurrency and hawala channels — to fund the Jaish-backed module.
The handlers, suspected to be operating from Pakistan and the Gulf, reportedly directed the module to target high-density civilian areas to “create psychological warfare.”
Alert J&K Officer Busted the Network
The first crack came when SP Chakravarty of the Jammu & Kashmir Police flagged suspicious online communication between Dr Umar and a known Jaish sympathiser in Sopore.
The tip-off led to weeks of electronic surveillance, culminating in the busting of the Faizabad module connected to Al-Falah University.
“It was pure vigilance,” said sources. “Had it not been for Chakravarty’s alertness, the country could have seen coordinated blasts on a much larger scale.”
Prime Minister Visits the Injured, Calls for Unity
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the blast survivors at Delhi’s LNJP Hospital a day after the incident, assuring the victims’ families that those responsible would face the “harshest punishment.”
“This attack on innocent civilians is an attack on humanity. Our government will root out terror in all its disguises,” the PM said after meeting the injured.
A New Threat: White-Collar Terrorism
Security experts are now warning that the Red Fort blast signals a strategic shift in India’s terror dynamics — from border infiltration to ideological radicalisation within professional classes.
The Home Ministry, Defence Intelligence Agency, and NIA are now working in close coordination to plug security lapses at universities, research labs, and other sensitive institutions. \
Surveillance mechanisms around defence and atomic research establishments have also been tightened amid fears of infiltration attempts through academic or scientific recruitment channels.
“This isn’t the old-school militancy of Pulwama or Uri. This is a more sophisticated, educated, and urban form of jihad — a silent radicalisation of minds that can operate in plain sight,” said a senior retired RAW official.
The Road Ahead
The NIA’s probe has now expanded to trace the financial and ideological roots of this module, including possible links to banned organisations operating under the guise of cultural and educational NGOs.
As the investigation deepens, one thing is clear: terrorism in India is mutating, finding new faces, new professions, and new disguises.
The Red Fort blast was not just an explosion in Delhi; it was a warning that the battleground has shifted — from mountains and borders to metros and minds. Sooner we diagnose this, better it would be for the country.
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