The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested another doctor for his alleged involvement in the Delhi blast case, which killed over a dozen people. Dr Bilal Naseer Malla had harboured suicide bomber Dr Umar and provided him with logistical support, the NIA confirmed.
The anti-terror agency, which is probing the Delhi blast and a connected "white-collar terror module," stated that Dr Malla, a resident of Baramulla district in Jammu and Kashmir, is the eighth accused arrested so far. The NIA team arrested the doctor from Delhi today, calling him a key accused in the conspiracy.
Besides helping Dr Umar, who killed 15 people when he blew himself up near the Red Fort on November 10, the arrested accused is also charged with destruction of evidence related to the terrorist attack.
"NIA found him involved in the conspiracy behind the terrorist attack that killed 11 persons and injured several others in the Red Fort area," the agency said. "As per NIA investigations, Bilal had knowingly harboured the dead accused Umar Un Nabi by providing him logistical support. He is also accused of destruction of evidence related to the terrorist attack."
In a statement, the NIA confirmed that it is continuing its investigation into the conspiracy behind the deadly terror act. The anti-terror agency is working closely with various central and state agencies to unravel all the threads of the conspiracy.
A month after the Delhi blast, the NIA brought key accused Dr Adeel Rather to Kashmir and conducted a search operation in a forest area in Anantnag. These searches were aimed at unearthing a larger conspiracy involving doctor-turned-terrorists.
NIA investigators, assisted by the Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police, launched searches in a dense forest area this morning. According to sources, suspicious items have been recovered during these searches.
Another accused taken for search was Jasir Bilal Wani, a student considered a drone expert, who was arrested by the NIA for being part of the white-collar terror module.
Dr Adeel, who is considered key to the investigation, was a close friend of Dr Umar. It was after the arrest of Dr Adeel Rather and Dr Muzamil Ganai that the Jammu and Kashmir Police recovered nearly 300 kgs of explosive material from Haryana. Since then, several accused have been arrested, and dozens have been questioned in connection with the blast and terror conspiracy case.
