- Doctors and others in JeM terror module planned to receive long-range drones from Pakistan
- 2,900 kg explosives were found in a Faridabad home, revealing the white collar terror module on November 10
- The drones would have been capable of carrying 10 kg payloads and were to be assembled for major attacks
The doctors and other individuals arrested as part of Jaish-e-Mohammed's white-collar terror module were to receive a consignment of long-range drones from a Pakistani handler, according to sources.
The plan to send the drones in parts was foiled when the terror module was revealed on November 10, when 2,900 kilograms of explosives were found at a rented residence in Haryana's Faridabad. The same evening, a car exploded on a crowded street outside Delhi's Red Fort, killing 15 people.
Sources said the drones, capable of carrying payloads of up to 10 kilograms, were to reach India through an export company on an order placed by an Indian import company.
Similar to those caught earlier for smuggling weapons and drugs from Pakistan into India, the assembled drones would have been capable of flying several kilometres. Sources added that the arrested terror module operatives were to assemble these drones, and carry out a major attack by mounting readymade explosives on them.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested Jasir Bilal Wani from Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar on November 17 for his role as an active co-conspirator of Delhi car bomber Dr Umar Muhammad Nabi. He was reportedly involved in modifying drones and attempting to develop rockets ahead of the deadly car bomb blast.
The NIA continues to probe multiple angles to uncover the full conspiracy behind the bombing. Several teams from the anti-terror agency are pursuing various leads and conducting searches across multiple states to identify every individual involved in the attack.
Another major revelation that has come to light is that the accused were in the process of preparing 200 bombs, which were meant to go off simultaneously in Delhi and other parts of North India. The plan was to carry out bomb blasts across North Indian states, and for this, the Pakistani spy agency ISI had handpicked a JeM operative to train the accused, who were part of the Faridabad module.
Probe also found that the radicalisation of the doctors involved in the terror module began as early as 2019 on social media platforms, PTI reported. The investigation so far indicated a concerning shift in cross-border terror strategy, where highly educated professionals were groomed entirely through digital means by handlers operating from Pakistan and other parts of the world, the officials familiar with the probe said.
