Faridabad terror bust: Was Al-Falah University's lab used to make RDX? J&K professor Muzamil Shakeel’s arrest leads to 2,900kg explosive haul

GURGAON/SRINAGAR: A Kashmiri medical professor’s arrest has triggered one of the largest counterterrorism hauls in recent years, with investigators in J&K, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh uncovering nearly 2,900kg of IED-making material, multiple assault rifles, pistols, chemicals, and bomb components. Police are probing whether laboratory facilities at Al-Falah University in Faridabad’s Dhauj were used to synthesise advanced explosives such as RDX. Searches on Saturday at a room allegedly rented by Muzamil Shakeel, 35, a doctor from Pulwama who taught at the university, yielded arms, ammunition, and bomb-making paraphernalia — including 12 suitcases and a bucket packed with explosives, 20 timers, batteries, remote controls, 5kg of heavy metal, and a walkie-talkie set.

On Monday, searches expanded to Dehar Colony, also in Dhauj, where police found an additional 2,563kg of explosives and flammable material. Seized weapons included a Chinese pistol, a Beretta pistol, an AK-56 rifle, and a Krinkov rifle, all with ammunition.“The sheer volume of material points to plans for large-scale terrorist attacks,” said a senior police officer. Faridabad police spokesperson Yashpal said teams were identifying accomplices, tracing procurement chains, and determining the weapons’ source.

“Raids are being carried out at multiple locations linked to the accused,” he said. Investigators have detained several people allegedly connected to Muzamil, including a religious scholar from a mosque near the university. An AK-47 allegedly linked to Muzamil was found in the Swift Dzire of a woman doctor from the same university. Officers said she may have loaned her vehicle without knowing its use but is under questioning in J&K. Before Muzamil’s arrest, UP’s Saharanpur police detained another Pulwama doctor, Adeel Majeed Rather, whose interrogation led investigators to Dhauj and the massive explosive cache. Faridabad police commissioner Satender Kumar Gupta said a terrorist module was in the making. “Joint teams of Haryana and J&K police have successfully busted a major terrorist network,” he said, adding that more arrests were likely. J&K Police described it as a “major counterterrorism operation”, dismantling an inter-state and transnational module linked to Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGuH). Arrests include Arif Nisar Dar alias Sahil and Yasir-ul-Ashraf of Nowgam, Maqsood Ahmad Dar alias Shahid of Nowgam, Molvi Irfan Ahmad of Shopian, Zameer Ahmad Ahanger of Ganderbal, Dr Muzammil Ahmad Ganaie of Koil (Pulwama), and Dr Rather of Kulgam. Searches have been carried out across Srinagar, Anantnag, Ganderbal, and Shopian, alongside coordinated raids in Faridabad and Saharanpur. The investigation began after threatening JeM posters surfaced in Srinagar’s Bunpora Nowgam area on October 19, leading police to what they called a “white-collar terror ecosystem” — a network of radicalised professionals and students allegedly in contact with handlers in Pakistan and other countries.Cops probing if Faridabad univ lab was used for making RDX Searches on Saturday at a room Muzamil Shakeel allegedly took 15 days before his arrest yielded arms, ammunition, explosive material and bomb-making paraphernalia: 12 suitcases and a bucket packed with explosives, 20 timers, batteries, remote controls, 5kg heavy metal, and a walkie-talkie set.Searches expanded Monday to Dehar Colony, also in Dhauj, where police found an additional 2,563kg of explosives and flammable material.

Seized weapons include a Chinese pistol, a Beretta pistol, an AK-56 rifle, and a Krinkov rifle - all with ammunition. "The sheer volume of material points to plans for large-scale terrorist attacks," a police officer said.Faridabad police spokesperson Yashpal said teams were working to identify accomplices, trace procurement chains, and determine the weapons' source. "Raids are being carried out at multiple locations linked to the accused," he said.Investigators have detained several people allegedly connected to Muzamil, including a religious scholar from a mosque near the university. Police said they are probing whether laboratory facilities at Al-Falah University were intended for synthesising advanced explosives such as RDX.An AK-47 allegedly linked to Muzamil was found in the Swift Dzire of a woman doctor from the same university. Officers said she has not been arrested and may have loaned her vehicle without knowing its use, but her role remains under scrutiny.

She is currently being questioned in J&K.Before Muzamil's arrest, UP's Saharanpur police detained another Pulwama doctor - Adeel Majeed Rather. His interrogation led investigators to Dhauj and uncovered Muzamil's alleged storage facility.Faridabad police commissioner Satender Kumar Gupta said a terrorist module was being designed. "Though I cannot reveal much as it concerns national security, joint teams of Haryana and J&K police have successfully busted a major terrorist network," he said, adding that more arrests were expected.J&K police announced a broader breakthrough, calling it a "major counterterrorism operation" that dismantled an inter-state and transnational module linked to JeM and AGuH. Arrests include Arif Nisar Dar alias Sahil and Yasir-ul-Ashraf of Nowgam, Maqsood Ahmad Dar alias Shahid of Nowgam, Molvi Irfan Ahmad of Shopian, Zameer Ahmad Ahanger of Ganderbal, Dr Muzammil Ahmad Ganaie of Koil in Pulwama, and Dr Rather of Kulgam. Searches were carried out across Srinagar, Anantnag, Ganderbal, and Shopian, along with coordinated operations in Faridabad and Saharanpur.