On November 7, three days before an i20 car exploded near the Red Fort, Dr Umar Nabi Bhat, the man said to be driving the vehicle, called his sister-in-law in Pulwama to say that he would return home in three days.
On Monday night, as the family in Koil village of Pulwama waited for Umar’s return, police showed up and asked for his brother Zahoor Illahi. They took him away, only to return sometime later to take away his elder brother Ashiq Hussain. The Bhats said they were not given any reason. Umar’s father Ghulam Nabi Bhat was picked up for questioning while his mother was taken away, reportedly for DNA sampling.
Police suspect Umar was the leader of the “white-collar group” of doctors in a terror module busted days before the Red Fort explosion. “He is suspected to have been steering and motivating the rest of the flock,” an officer said.
Umar’s sister-in-law Muzamila Akhtar said, “We didn’t know anything. We came to know about him (Umar) only when the media arrived here this morning.”
Follow this space for live updates on the case.
Police sources said Umar had been missing after Dr Muzammil Ahmad Ganai was arrested from Faridabad.
Akhtar said a police team, led by a Superintendent of Police and his deputy, arrived at their home Monday night. “I stepped outside and they asked for Zahoor (Umar’s brother). I told them we would bring him to the police station in the morning but they did not listen and took him away,” she said.
“The police came again after 15 minutes and asked for my husband (Ashiq Hussain). They said he will have to go with them and they will hand over Zahoor to him. They took our phones. When they didn’t return, I called the DSP. He asked me not to worry and go to sleep. I understood.”
Story continues below this ad
She said Umar had called last Friday. “He wouldn’t make regular calls. We exchanged pleasantries. I asked him to come home. He said ‘I have already told you that I am busy with exams and have to be in the library’. He said he would come in three days. We tried to contact him again, but couldn’t,” she said.
After completing school in the village, Umar studied for MBBS from the Government Medical College (GMC) Srinagar. He was among the state toppers in the NEET-PG and secured a seat for MD, again at GMC Srinagar. After completing his MD, Umar worked at GMC Anantnag. A year and a half ago, he shifted to Faridabad and joined the Al Falah University’s School of Medical Sciences and Research as an Assistant Professor. Sources said he was engaged to a doctor in Srinagar.
A kilometre from Umar’s home, the family of Muzammil Ganai was not ready to accept that he was part of a Jaish module. “I can’t believe it,” said Muzammil’s sister Asmat Shakeel. Asmat, who completed her MBBS from Bangladesh, was to get married on November 10. The marriage ceremony was postponed after Muzammil’s arrest.
Muzammil, who visited home last in June, would make regular calls to the family. On October 30, police arrived and informed the family about his arrest.
Story continues below this ad
Son of farmer Shakeel Ahmad, Muzammil completed his MBBS from Batra (ASCOMS) Medical College in Jammu in 2017. He then worked at the Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) in Srinagar before moving to Al Falah University in Faridabad. “He was working there and also doing his DNB (Diplomate of National Board),” said his younger brother Azad Shakeel, who is preparing for the UG NEET.
On Monday, police picked up his elder brother Abbas Shakeel for questioning.
According to police, Muzammil’s information led them to the huge cache of explosives and ammunition in Faridabad. He also led police to Dr Adeel Majeed Rather, a resident of Qazigund in Kulgam.
Adeel completed his MBBS from the GMC in Srinagar in 2019. In 2022, he completed his MD, again from GMC Srinagar, in General Medicine. He was working as a senior resident at GMC Anantnag until October 2024. He then joined a private hospital in Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh.
