New Delhi:
A Delhi court on Thursday remanded Yasir Ahmad Dar, the ninth accused in the Red Fort blast case, to the custody of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) till December 26, allowing investigators to question him further in connection with the deadly conspiracy.
Special Judge Prashant Sharma of the Patiala House District Court granted the NIA’s plea seeking Dar’s custodial interrogation. The accused was produced before the court around 2.30 pm amid heavy security arrangements, while media personnel were not permitted to cover the proceedings.
Earlier in the day, the NIA arrested Dar, a resident of Jammu and Kashmir, describing him as a close associate of suicide bomber Umar-un-Nabi. According to the agency, Dar played an active role in planning and executing the conspiracy behind the blast near Delhi’s Red Fort on November 10, which claimed at least 15 lives and left several others injured.
The NIA alleged that Dar was not only in constant touch with other key accused but had also taken an oath to carry out self-sacrificial operations as part of the terror plot. Investigators said he maintained close links with Umar-un-Nabi as well as Mufti Irfan, another accused in the case.
With Dar’s arrest, the total number of accused taken into custody in the case has risen to nine. Earlier, the NIA had arrested eight individuals, including four doctors — Dr Muzammil Ganaie, Dr Adeel Rather, Dr Shaheen Sayeed and Dr Bilal Naseer Malla — along with religious preacher Maulvi Irfan.
The agency has also arrested Amir Rashid Ali and Jasir Bilal Wani alias Danish. Ali is accused of purchasing the car in his name that was later loaded with explosives, including ammonium nitrate, and detonated near the Red Fort. On November 26, the NIA further arrested Soyab, a resident of Dhauj in Faridabad, for allegedly providing logistical support to Umar-un-Nabi before the attack.
Umar-un-Nabi was driving the explosive-laden Hyundai i20 car that exploded outside the Red Fort, a high-security area, triggering nationwide concern and a multi-agency investigation. The NIA continues to probe the wider network behind the attack, with further arrests not being ruled out.