Srinagar: In a major counter-terror operation, police from Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir seized 360 kg of highly inflammable material, suspected to be ammonium nitrate, along with a large collection of weapons and bomb-making equipment from a rented apartment in Faridabad. The operation follows the arrest of a Pulwama-based doctor suspected of links with the Pakistan-backed terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM).

The Jammu & Kashmir Police have confirmed that the operation has dismantled an inter-state and transnational terror module linked to proscribed terrorist organisations Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGuH). The investigation revealed a “white-collar terror ecosystem” involving radicalised professionals and students in contact with foreign handlers operating from Pakistan and other countries. Coordinated searches were carried out across multiple locations in Srinagar, Anantnag, Ganderbal, and Shopian, alongside operations in Faridabad with Haryana Police and Saharanpur with Uttar Pradesh Police.

So far, seven accused have been arrested, including Dr Muzammil Ahmad Ganaie and Dr Adeel, along with several local residents and a mosque imam. Authorities have recovered a range of arms and ammunition, including a Chinese Star pistol, a Beretta pistol, an AK-56 rifle, and an AK Krinkov rifle, as well as 2,900 kg of IED-making material such as explosives, chemicals, electronic circuits, timers, batteries, wires, and metal sheets. Financial investigations are underway to trace the flow of funds and identify additional linkages within this terror network.

The recovered items included an assault rifle with three magazines, 83 live cartridges, a pistol with eight live rounds, additional magazines, 12 suitcases, a bucket containing explosives, 20 timers, four batteries, remotes, five kilograms of heavy metal, and a walkie-talkie set. Authorities believe these materials were intended for large-scale terror strikes in northern India.

An investigation is ongoing into the possible involvement of a woman doctor employed at Al-Falah University, whose car was found to contain one of the assault rifles. Officials stated that she is currently in Jammu & Kashmir for interrogation.

The breakthrough came after the earlier arrest of Dr Adil Ahmad Rather from Saharanpur. His interrogation led to the capture of Dr Muzammal, an assistant professor at Al-Falah University, who had rented a separate room near the university specifically to store explosives and weapons.

Faridabad Police Commissioner Satender Kumar Gupta confirmed that a major terror module had been dismantled through coordinated efforts between Haryana and J&K police. He noted that further arrests of operatives associated with the JeM terror network are expected as investigations continue.

Around ten days after the arrest of Dr Muzammal, police conducted a search of his rented accommodation in Faridabad’s Dhouj area, recovering 360 kg of highly inflammable material, believed to be ammonium nitrate, along with a significant quantity of arms and bomb-making components. The haul included an assault rifle with three magazines and 83 live cartridges, a pistol with eight live rounds, two empty cartridges, two additional magazines, 12 suitcases, a bucket filled with explosive material, 20 timers, four batteries, remotes, five kilograms of heavy metal, and a walkie-talkie set.

Investigators suspect that these items were intended for use in major terror attacks in northern India, coordinated by JeM handlers operating from across the border. One of the assault rifles was discovered in a car belonging to a woman doctor from Al-Falah University, and she is currently being interrogated in Jammu & Kashmir. Police are yet to determine whether she was directly involved or if her vehicle had been used without her knowledge.

The operation followed the earlier arrest of Dr Adil Ahmad Rather, another Pulwama-based doctor, by J&K Police in Saharanpur. His questioning led authorities to Dr Muzammal, who had rented an additional room in Faridabad solely for storing explosives and arms around 15 days prior to his arrest.

Faridabad Police Commissioner Satender Kumar Gupta described the seizure as a significant dismantling of a terror module. He confirmed that additional arrests are expected as investigations continue and forensic teams analyse the recovered materials to determine the precise nature and potential use of the explosives.