New Delhi, 19 December (H.S.): The Patiala House Court in Delhi on Thursday extended the National Investigation Agency (NIA) custody of two accused in the Red Fort blast case, Shoaib Ali and Dr. Naseer Bilal Malla, till December 26. The order was passed by Principal District and Sessions Judge Anju Bajaj Chandna, granting NIA additional time for interrogation.

Earlier, the court had extended their custody till December 19.

According to investigators, Shoaib, a resident of Faridabad, is accused of providing shelter to Umar Un Nabi, the alleged suicide bomber responsible for the Red Fort explosion. Dr. Naseer, on the other hand, hails from Baramulla in Jammu and Kashmir and is suspected of playing a supporting role in the conspiracy.

So far, the NIA has arrested nine individuals in connection with the blast, and all the accused remain in its custody. The agency continues to interrogate them to uncover the entire terror plot. On November 18, the Delhi court had remanded Jaseer Bilal Wani alias Danish, a close associate of suicide attacker Umar Un Nabi, to 10 days of NIA custody after his arrest from Srinagar.

According to the NIA, Danish had made technical modifications to drones and attempted to develop rockets prior to the car bomb blast. Working closely with Umar Un Nabi, he played a key role in executing the conspiracy. A political science graduate, Danish was reportedly brainwashed by Umar into joining the terror module. In October 2024, he met members of the “Doctor module” at a mosque in Kulgam, from where he was taken to Al-Falah University in Faridabad, Haryana, for further radicalisation.

The Red Fort blast occurred on November 10, when an I10 car exploded near the historic monument. The vehicle was registered in the name of Aamir Rashid Ali. The deadly explosion claimed 13 lives and left 32 others injured, triggering a multi-agency investigation led by the NIA.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar