NEW DELHI: A high-intensity explosion tore through a parked car near Gate No. 1 of the Red Fort Metro Station on Monday evening, engulfing multiple vehicles in flames and shattering windows across the historic area. It has so far left at least eight people dead and over a dozen injured, with authorities probing potential terror links amid a parallel major bust of an interstate terror module in neighbouring Haryana's Faridabad.

The incident unfolded just hours after a dramatic counter-terrorism operation in Faridabad, where Haryana Police, acting on intelligence inputs, raided a rented accommodation linked to Kashmir-based doctors, unearthing a massive cache of bomb-making materials and arms.

The operation follows a 15-day operation in joint operation by the police forces of Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, as well as central agencies include Eight people have been arrested, including many doctors, with the agencies achieving a major breakthrough to thwart the destructive designs of terror groups, including the banned Jaish-e-Mohammed and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, an offshoot of ISIS in India.

The first arrest came last week when an AK-47 rifle was recovered from the personal locker of a senior resident doctor at Government Medical College (GMC), Anantnag, Jammu and Kashmir. Dr. Adeel Ahmad Rather, 27, a resident of Qazigund, Anantnag, had been working at GMC Anantnag until October 24, 2024.

Ahmed Mohiyuddin Saiyed, 35, from Hyderabad, was arrested by the Gujarat ATS on November 7 in a case that sent shockwaves across security agencies. Saiyed, a China-trained MBBS doctor, had been preparing ricin, a lethal protein derived from castor seeds, and had conducted months-long reconnaissance of crowded public spaces, including Delhi’s Azadpur Mandi, Ahmedabad’s Naroda fruit market, and the RSS office in Lucknow.

Saiyed was apprehended with two Glock pistols, a Beretta, 30 live cartridges, and four litres of castor oil near Adalaj, Ahmedabad. Officials said he was in contact with Abu Khadim of the ISIS-Khorasan Province. He faces charges under the UAPA, the Arms Act, and Indian Penal Code provisions. It is not yet known whether the arrest of Saiyed and his associates is linked to the arrests made by the Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir police.

Dr. Muzammil Shakeel, faculty at Al Falah University, was nabbed on November 9 by a joint team of Jammu & Kashmir and Haryana Police. Authorities recovered 2,900 kg of ammonium nitrate, rifles, pistols, timers, and batteries from his rented room in Dhauj. Dr. Muzammil allegedly concealed explosives in suitcases and has suspected links to JeM.

In the initial raid on a house in Faridabad, authorities recovered approximately 360 kg of ammonium nitrate — a highly volatile chemical used in explosives — along with one Krinkov assault rifle equipped with three magazines and 83 live rounds, a pistol with eight rounds, two empty cartridges, and additional magazines. Follow-up searches yielded a staggering additional 2,500 kg of the substance, concealed in eight large and four small suitcases, bringing the total haul to over 2,900 kg. Other incriminating items included 20 electronic timers with batteries, 24 remote controls, walkie-talkie sets, electric wiring, five kilograms of heavy metal scraps, and an AK-47 rifle previously stashed in a locker in the Kashmir Valley.

The doctors, who hail from Srinagar, were allegedly involved in propagating materials for banned outfits Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGuH), including posters endorsing terror activities. Interrogations revealed a network of foreign handlers from Pakistan using encrypted apps for indoctrination, recruitment, and logistics coordination. Funds were funneled through academic and charitable facades, with plans to assemble hundreds of powerful IEDs targeting Delhi landmarks.

Another suspect, Dr. Shaheen Shahid, a woman doctor at the same facility from Lucknow, has been detained after a Krinkov rifle was found in her Maruti Swift car, which was being used by Shakeel. Additionally, an imam named Ishtiyaq, a local mosque cleric in regular contact with the group, was arrested. All accused face charges under the Arms Act and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), with police hinting at more arrests in this “one of the largest seizures linked to the Kashmir Valley in recent years.”

While no direct link has been established between the Faridabad module and the Red Fort blast so far, the timing has heightened suspicions of coordinated threats. “The explosives haul in Faridabad appears to be part of a larger conspiracy to terrorize the capital,” a senior Delhi Police officer told reporters, noting the ammonium nitrate’s similarity to materials used in past IEDs.

Senior officers of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Intelligence Bureau (IB), along with other agencies, are present at the site of the blasts and collecting samples from the site of the blast, and Union Home Minister Amit Shah is taking regular updates on the incident and has asked for a proper investigation to be carried out.