Red Fort blast: Delhi court extends custody of 7 accused till Jan 8
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New Delhi: A Delhi court on Wednesday extended the judicial custody of seven accused in the Red Fort blast case by 15 days, remanding them to custody till January 8.
Additional Sessions Judge Prashant Sharma of the Patiala House Court remanded Dr Adeel Rather, Dr Muzammil Ganaie, Dr Shaheen Saeed, Maulvi Irfan Ahmed Wagay, Jasir Bilal Wani, Amir Rashid Ali and Soyab after their earlier judicial custody periods expired. The accused were produced before the court by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) amid tight security. Media persons were barred from covering the proceedings.
Earlier, three doctors, Rather, Ganaie and Saeed along with Wagay were sent to 12 days of judicial custody on December 12. Ali and Wani were remanded to 14 days of judicial custody on December 10, while Soyab was sent to five days of judicial custody on December 19.
PTI had earlier reported that a sophisticated terror module, allegedly led by a group of doctors, had been actively scouting for a suicide bomber since last year, with Umar-un-Nabi identified as the key planner. Umar-un-Nabi was driving the Hyundai i20 car laden with explosives that detonated outside the Red Fort on November 10.
According to the NIA, Amir Rashid Ali was arrested on November 16 for allegedly facilitating the purchase of the car used as a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device in the blast. Jasir Bilal Wani was arrested on November 17 for allegedly providing technical support for the attack by modifying drones and attempting to make rockets ahead of the blast. Officials said Wani admitted during questioning that he had come across the alleged “doctor module” in October last year at a mosque in Kulgam district of Kashmir.
Soyab was arrested on November 26 for allegedly providing logistical support to Umar-un-Nabi before the blast. The NIA also arrested Dr Naseer Bilal Malla from Delhi on December 9, describing him as a key conspirator who allegedly harboured Umar-un-Nabi, provided logistical assistance and destroyed evidence linked to the terror attack.
On December 18, the agency arrested the ninth accused, Yasir Ahmad Dar, a resident of Jammu and Kashmir and an alleged close associate of Umar-un-Nabi. The NIA said Dar was an active participant in the conspiracy and had allegedly taken an oath to carry out self-sacrificial operations.
With PTI inputs