Police probe reveals Red Fort reconnaissance by terror suspects ahead of blast

Investigators probing the Red Fort blast have revealed that Dr Muzammil Ganaie, one of the key suspects in the recently uncovered “white-collar terror module”, conducted multiple reconnaissance visits to the historic site in January, according to police analysing his mobile data.

Officials suspect these visits were part of a larger conspiracy to target the Red Fort on 26 January, a plan that may have been thwarted by heightened security and intensive patrolling at the time.

A senior police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, “Analysis of mobile dump data shows Dr Muzammil repeatedly visited the Red Fort area in the first week of January. These visits were part of detailed reconnaissance ahead of a planned attack on Republic Day.”

The officer added that Dr Muzammil, along with his associate Dr Umar Nabi, studied security arrangements and crowd patterns at the monument. Their movements were corroborated through mobile tower data and CCTV footage from the surrounding areas.

Investigators are now examining Dr Muzammil’s digital footprint and communications to trace funding sources for the module and determine where the explosives were procured. Authorities are also reviewing whether other suspects carried out similar reconnaissance or provided logistical support.

Mobile data collected from Dr Umar Nabi is being analysed to ascertain whether he was in contact with anyone immediately before Monday evening’s explosion. The blast, originating from a slow-moving car near the Red Fort metro station, killed 12 people and left several others injured.

The case has now been handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for further investigation, as authorities continue to piece together the network behind the attack.

With Agency Inputs