NEW DELHI: The Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squads have foiled a planned chemical terror attack, arresting three suspects, including a Hyderabad-based doctor, who allegedly intended to poison prasad with ricin. The plot reportedly included Ayodhya as a target, with Nov 25—when the saffron flag is due to be hoisted atop the Ram temple—marked for an attack.
According to sources, the suspects had also planned a series of attacks in Delhi akin to the 26/11 Mumbai strike, describing it as a “spectacular attack” of unprecedented scale. Key targets included railway stations, malls, India Gate and temples.DNA tests confirmed Umar Un Nabi as the bomber in Old Delhi. Sources said Nabi’s module had planned multiple vehicle-borne IED explosions followed by assault rifle firing. Three vehicles—an i20, a red Ford Ecosport, and a Brezza—had been procured for the operation. While the i20 exploded near Red Fort, authorities issued a BOLO notice for the other two vehicles.
The Ecosport, registered in Delhi with the number ending 0458, was recovered in Faridabad, while the Brezza remains untraced.The investigation revealed that besides Delhi, Ayodhya, railway stations, India Gate was also on the module’s radar.Security officials said they had collected ammonium nitrate and RDX, though it remains unclear whether these materials were in the i20. The plot had reportedly been hatched in Turkiye in 2022, with Nabi following instructions from his Turkey-based handler, identified by the codename Ukasa.The breakthrough came after Jaish-e-Mohammed posters appeared overnight on Oct 19 across Nowgam-Bunpora in Srinagar, warning security forces of “dire consequences.” Srinagar SSP Dr GV Sundeep Chakravarthy described the posters as deliberate and dangerous, ordering a case under the UAPA, Explosive Substances Act, and Arms Act. CCTV footage led to the identification of three men, including Moulvi Irfan Ahmad of Shopian.Further investigation traced digital footprints and communications to operatives in Haryana and UP, leading to the arrest of Dr Muzammil Ahmad Ganaie, a Pulwama doctor working in a Faridabad medical college, and two others from Nowgam. The probe also led to seizures of IED-making materials.A senior officer described the investigation as “a thorough forward-and-backward effort that mapped every link in the chain,” noting that the operation exposed a sophisticated cross-state “white-collar” module involving medics, a moulvi, and radicalized operatives.For Dr Chakravarthy, a 2014-batch IPS officer, the case stands out as one of his most intricate investigations, peeling back layers of radicalization and revealing an unlikely alliance of professionals and militants.
