Delhi Red Fort blast: NIA arrests MBBS student of Al-Falah University from West Bengal’s Dalkhola

A joint team of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and West Bengal Police has arrested an MBBS student from Al-Falah University, Faridabad, in connection with the explosive-laden car blast near Delhi’s Red Fort Metro Station earlier this week. Officials confirmed on Saturday that the student, identified as Nisar Alam, was picked up from Dalkhola in the North Dinajpur district.

Alam’s family has been living in Ludhiana, Punjab, for several years, though their ancestral home remains in Dalkhola. He had travelled to the town earlier this week with his mother and sister to attend a family function, police sources said.

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NIA arrests Al-Falah University student in Delhi Red Fort blast case

Investigators traced his mobile phone location to Dalkhola, prompting an NIA team to reach the area on Friday. Alam was detained later that day and first taken to the Islampur Police Station for questioning. After several hours of interrogation, he was shifted to Siliguri in Darjeeling district. Officials said he is expected to be brought to Delhi on transit remand.

Residents of Konal village, where Alam’s ancestral house is located, expressed disbelief over the arrest. Locals said that although the family moved to Punjab years ago, they often visited Dalkhola to meet relatives. “Alam and his other family members used to come to Konal from time to time to meet their relatives. We have found him to be an extremely well-mannered and soft-spoken youth. We could never guess about his association with insurgency activities,” a villager told reporters.

Al-Falah University under scrutiny after explosives recovery and Red Fort blast

Al-Falah University, which is a private institution situated about 27 km from the Delhi-Haryana border in Faridabad’s Dhauj area, has come under national focus after the recovery of a large quantity of explosives and the deadly Red Fort blast that claimed 13 lives.

Over the last few days, police teams have conducted multiple visits to the campus, questioning around 52 doctors as part of the widened investigation. Agencies are working to establish the roles and connections of Dr Muzammil Shakeel, Dr Shaheen Shahid, and Dr Umar Mohammed, all of whom are suspected of running a Jaish-e-Mohammed-linked “white-collar” terror module.