‘Biryani’ for bombs, ‘Daawat’ for attack: How Faridabad terror module hid plans on Telegram

The white-collar terror module busted in Faridabad had been using everyday food names as coded language to plan attacks over Telegram. Investigators have found that the four arrested doctors frequently used the words “biryani” for explosives and “daawat” for the day of the attack, hoping to avoid detection by security agencies.

According to officials, the chats often appeared harmless—messages like “Biryani is ready, get ready for the daawat” were actually signals that bomb material had been arranged and the attack was imminent. 

The module’s alleged mastermind, Imam Irfan Ahmed of Shopian in Jammu & Kashmir, is said to have radicalized the doctors—Muzammil Shakeel, Omar Un Nabi, Shahina Saeed, and Adeel Hum Rader.

Irfan first met Nabi at a Srinagar hospital in 2020, and over repeated visits—under the guise of seeking treatment—he steered him toward extremist ideology. Nabi later identified other doctors and brought them into Irfan’s network, where they coordinated via Telegram.

A crucial escalation occurred when Irfan arranged a meeting between the doctors and Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists in South Kashmir.

Two AK-series rifles were handed over; both have since been recovered, including one found in Shahina Saeed’s car.

During interrogation, Shaheena claimed she had known the other doctors only for six months and was unaware of the full plot.

However, the Medical Council has revoked the licenses of all four doctors, striking their names off the Indian Medical Register and National Medical Register, barring them from practice anywhere in the country.

The NIA has also arrested Aamir Rashid Lee from Delhi, who allegedly purchased the Hyundai i20 used as a car bomb and assisted in assembling the IED.

Meanwhile, Al Falah University in Faridabad, where one of the doctors worked, is under scrutiny for financial and administrative irregularities. The NIA has additionally seized a vehicle registered under the suicide bomber Nabi as part of its probe.