The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has taken two more doctors hailing from Jammu and Kashmir into custody for questioning in connection with the Delhi blast incident, officials said on Thursday.
According to them, ATS officials detained Farukh, a gynaecologist from Hapur’s GS Medical College. Earlier, on Wednesday night, Mohammad Arif (32), a cardiologist working at the Heart Disease Institute in Kanpur, was held for detailed interrogation. Both doctors have been taken to Delhi for questioning.
Preliminary investigations suggest that both Arif and Farukh were in contact with terror suspect Dr Shahin.
Sources reveal that Arif was a classmate of Umar, one of the terrorists killed in the Delhi blast. The two had studied together in Jammu and Kashmir.
Meanwhile, Farukh reportedly studied with Mujammil Shakeel, who was arrested earlier from Faridabad’s Al-Falah University, where explosives were recovered from his possession.
Prior to these arrests, the ATS had already detained Dr Adil from Saharanpur, Dr Shahin, and her brother Dr Parvez from Lucknow.
On Thursday, a Kanpur Police team also questioned Arif’s landlord and colleagues. His landlord, Kanhaiya Lal, said, “Arif was a quiet man, never interacted much with anyone. It never seemed he could be involved in anything like this.”
Sources suggest that the ATS crackdown may uncover a larger network linked to Dr Shahin operating within medical institutions. Currently, the cardiology department in Kanpur has seven students from Jammu and Kashmir pursuing their Doctorate of Medicine (DM) degrees.
Confirming the action, Dr Manoj Shishodia, Director of GS Medical College, Hapur, said, “A few police officers came to the college, inquired about Dr. Farukh, and later took him with them.”
The ATS investigation continues as links between medical professionals and the terror module become increasingly evident.