SIA Makes First Key Arrest in JeM–AGH Terror Module; New Links Emerge in Red Fort Blast Trail
Jammu and Kashmir’s State Investigation Agency (SIA) has made a crucial breakthrough in the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM)–Ansar Ghazwatul Hind (AGH) interstate terror module, marking its first formal arrest since taking over the case earlier this month.
The person formally arrested by the SIA is Tufail Niyaz, a resident of Srinagar.
This development comes against the backdrop of a series of startling revelations that began when an alleged terror network involving doctors from Government Medical College (GMC) Anantnag was uncovered — a case that later intersected with the Red Fort car blast investigation in Delhi.
The case first came to light when J&K Police exposed a terror module involving four medical professionals — Dr Muzamil Shakeel Ganai, Dr Adeel Ahmad Rather, Dr Umar Nabi, and Dr Shaheen Shahid.
Their involvement sent shockwaves through security and academic circles, revealing how radicalised operatives had quietly embedded themselves within respected institutions.
The module’s activities appeared to stretch beyond J&K, with links surfacing to Pakistan-based handlers and the group’s suspected role in supporting AGH and JeM networks.
As multiple agencies stepped in, the investigation took an even darker turn. Dr Umar Nabi died in the explosion outside the Red Fort, and the rest were subsequently arrested.
J&K Police transferred the suspects to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) after the Red Fort blast probe widened.
Amid this unfolding investigation, one name continued to surface — Tufail Niyaz, a Srinagar-based technician.
According to officials, Niyaz was detained soon after the module was busted, but has now been formally arrested by the SIA, making him the first accused taken into custody by the agency after it assumed charge.
Investigators allege that Niyaz played a critical operational role:
He is suspected of supplying the AK-series rifle that was later recovered from a locker in GMC Anantnag — a locker used by Dr Adeel Ahmad Rather.
Police say this recovery was made based on inputs provided by Dr Rather during interrogation.
Sources further claim that Niyaz obtained the weapon directly from a Pakistani handler, strengthening the cross-border terror link at the heart of this probe.
With this arrest, the SIA now begins a deeper phase of investigation aimed at mapping the network, identifying more handlers and sympathisers, and determining how deep the infiltration into medical institutions truly ran.
The agency believes the case is far from closed, and more arrests are expected as the terror web continues to unravel.
