Red Fort blast: NIA conducts searches in JK's Anantnag, Kulgam

SRINAGAR: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday conducted searches at several places in Anantnag and Kulgam districts of Jammu and Kashmir as part of its probe into the November 10 blast near the Red Fort in Delhi, officials said.

They said the NIA sleuths, assisted by police and CRPF, brought along two of the accused, Dr Adeel Rather and Jasir Bilal Wani, arrested in connection with a "white collar" terror module.

The searches were carried out at the instance of the two accused who had told the investigators about hideouts in the Mattan forest area of Anantnag and in Wanpora in the Qazigund area of Kulgam.

Jammu and Kashmir Police, with the help of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana police, busted the "white collar" terror module in the first week of November.

Eight people, including three doctors, were arrested and 2,900 kg of explosives were seized with the uncovering of the interstate module involving the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind.

The 2,900 kg of explosives included ammonium nitrate, potassium nitrate and sulphur. Of this, 360 kg of inflammable material and some arms and ammunition were recovered from the rented accommodation of one of the accused in Faridabad.

Shortly after the module was busted, an explosives-laden car blew up near the Red Fort in Delhi, claiming 15 lives.

An investigation into JeM posters found pasted in different locations in Bunpora in Anantnag's Nowgam led to the unravelling of the terror network.