Red Fort blast case: NIA arrests 9th accused; Yasir Ahmad Dar remanded to NIA custody till Dec 26

New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday arrested another accused in the investigation into the deadly blast near Delhi’s Red Fort, taking the total number of arrests in the case to nine.

Ninth arrest in Red Fort blast case

The accused, Yasir Ahmad Dar, was produced before the Patiala House Court in Delhi, which remanded him to NIA custody till December 26 to allow further questioning.

Dar, a resident of Shopian in south Kashmir’s Srinagar district, was arrested in Delhi under provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, officials said.

Alleged role in the blast

Investigators claim Dar played an active role in the conspiracy behind the attack. According to the NIA, he had sworn allegiance and taken an oath to participate in what the agency described as “self-sacrificial operations”.

Officials said his arrest followed fresh leads that emerged during the examination of digital evidence and questioning of previously arrested suspects.

Earlier arrest linked to mastermind

Dar’s arrest comes a week after the NIA detained Dr Bilal Naseer Malla, a resident of Baramulla in Jammu and Kashmir, who was named as the eighth accused in the case. Malla was picked up from Delhi by an NIA team.

The agency has alleged that Malla knowingly sheltered the alleged mastermind of the attack, Dr Umar Un Nabi, and provided logistical assistance while he was in the capital. He has also been accused of attempting to destroy evidence linked to the blast.

Blast near Red Fort that killed 13 people on November 10

The case relates to a powerful explosion that rocked the area near Delhi’s historic Red Fort on November 10. The blast, which took place close to Chandni Chowk and the Lal Quila Metro Station, killed 13 people and injured more than 30 others.

Investigators said the explosion was caused by a vehicle loaded with explosives, including ammonium nitrate. Dr Umar is believed to have been driving the vehicle at the time of the blast.

Wider terror network under scrutiny

According to the NIA, Dr Umar, a doctor from Pulwama, was employed at Al-Falah University in Faridabad. Officials said he was suspected of having links with individuals arrested during earlier police raids in the city, which led to the seizure of over 2,900 kg of explosives.

DNA tests conducted on human remains recovered from the vehicle later confirmed Umar’s presence inside the car at the time of the explosion.

The agency has maintained that evidence gathered so far points to the involvement of a wider terror network, with multiple medical professionals based in Faridabad and Kashmir allegedly connected to handlers operating outside the country.