In the wake of Monday's explosion near the Red Fort in New Delhi, investigation agencies have intensified their search for untraced terror handlers with links to eastern Uttar Pradesh, particularly Azamgarh. This renewed effort aims to locate individuals who have remained at large despite their names surfacing in connection with previous terror incidents, including the Shramjeevi Express blast in Jaunpur (2005), the Batla House encounter (2008), and the Delhi High Court blast (2011).
According to sources, police chiefs in Varanasi's districts have been instructed to initiate a fresh operation to track down these terror handlers. The list of wanted individuals includes Dr. Shahnawaz, Bada Sajid, Salman, Khalid, Arif Junaid, Dr. Asadullah Akhtar, and Mirza Shadab Beg, all originally from Azamgarh.
The intensified manhunt also extends to Wasif Billa, a terror trainer in Kerala who has been declared an absconder by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), and Shamim, an operative of Harkat-ul-Jihad-e-Islami from Chandauli, wanted in connection with the 2006 Sankat Mochan and Cantonment railway station blasts. While a reward of ₹20,000 was previously announced for Shamim's capture, he remains at large. Only the mastermind behind the 2006 blasts, Waliullah, was apprehended and convicted. Authorities later received information suggesting Shamim's presence in Bangladesh.
The 2005 Dasaswamedh Ghat terror attack remains unresolved, with none of the accused identified. However, in the Shramjeevi Express case, which resulted in 14 fatalities and 62 injuries, two Bangladeshi HuJI operatives were convicted in 2023.
Further investigations revealed that the Indian Mujahideen took control of HuJI's eastern Uttar Pradesh network in 2007, orchestrating the Kutcheri blasts, followed by the 2010 Dashashwamedh Ghat blast, which tragically killed a two-year-old girl. Agencies are also monitoring the network of Aftab Ansari, who is currently incarcerated in Kolkata jail after receiving a death sentence for the 2002 American Centre attack.
These intensified efforts come amidst revelations of a new dimension in India's security landscape: white-collar radicalization. The recent Red Fort blast in Delhi, which claimed 12 lives, and the discovery of 2,900 kilograms of bomb-making material in Faridabad, Haryana, have exposed the disturbing trend of educated professionals being drawn into extremist activities. The suspected involvement of three Kashmiri doctors in the Red Fort blast conspiracy has particularly stunned investigators.
The doctors, identified as Adeel Ahmad Rather, Muzammil Shakeel, and Umar Mohammed, are being investigated for their alleged roles in the terror plot. Initial investigations suggest that these doctors became acquainted through medical networks before being radicalized online via encrypted channels that disseminated extremist propaganda under the guise of humanitarian and religious outreach.
The Delhi Police have registered a case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in connection with the Red Fort blast, underscoring the severity of the situation. The investigation, which began with the appearance of posters supporting Jaish-e-Mohammad in Srinagar three weeks prior to the blast, has revealed a fundamental shift in terror recruitment, with law enforcement agencies now describing it as a "white-collar terror ecosystem".
