Investigations into the November 10, 2025, blast near Delhi’s Red Fort have exposed a sophisticated “white-collar” terror module run by highly educated doctors, who relied on “ghost” SIM cards and encrypted apps to coordinate with Pakistani handlers, senior officials revealed.
The probe, which formed the basis for the Department of Telecommunications’ (DoT) November 28 directive mandating continuous SIM linkage for apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal, uncovered a “dual phone” tactic employed by the accused. Each operative, including the slain Dr. Umar-un-Nabi who drove the explosives-laden vehicle, carried 2-3 handsets: one “clean” phone registered in their name for daily use and a “terror phone” for covert communications with handlers codenamed ‘Ukasa’, ‘Faizan’, and ‘Hashmi’.
These secondary SIMs were fraudulently issued using misused Aadhaar details of unsuspecting civilians or fake Aadhaar cards, Jammu and Kashmir Police found. The handlers in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) or Pakistan exploited apps’ SIM-less features to guide recruits in IED assembly via YouTube and orchestrate “hinterland” attacks, even as some initially aimed to join conflicts in Syria or Afghanistan.
Invoking the Telecommunications Act, 2023, and Telecom Cyber Security Rules, the DoT ordered all app providers—including Snapchat, Sharechat, and Jiochat—to ensure functionality only with an active physical SIM, with automatic logouts otherwise. Telecom operators must submit compliance reports within 90 days, with the Jammu and Kashmir circle fast-tracking implementation to dismantle terror networks’ digital backbone.
The module unraveled after Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) posters threatening Valley security forces appeared outside Srinagar on October 18-19, 2025. Jammu and Kashmir Police launched teams that traced leads to Haryana’s Al Falah University, arresting doctors Muzammil Ganaie from Pulwama and Shaheen Sayeed from Lucknow. Seizures included 2,900 kg of ammonium nitrate, potassium nitrate, sulphur, arms, and ammunition.
The Red Fort blast, which killed 15, is under the National Investigation Agency probe. Officials warn of non-compliance penalties, hailing the measures as a critical safeguard against cyber-enabled terror and fraud.
About the Author
