'Door was always closed': Al-Falah University's room 13 under scrutiny
What's the story
Room 13 in Building 17 of Al-Falah University, Faridabad, has emerged as the epicenter of a terror plot. The room, occupied by Dr. Muzammil Shakeel from Pulwama was allegedly used for planning and coordination by a radicalized group of doctors. This group is believed to be behind the recent Red Fort blast in Delhi that killed 13 people. The institution had earlier said it "has no connection with the said persons apart from them working in their official capacities."
Campus scrutiny
Al-Falah University's connection to the terror plot
According to reports, the room was the secret gathering place for the "white collar" terror module, several of whom have now been apprehended. Police believe the suspects, including faculty member Umar Un Nabi and Dr. Shaheen Shahid, a doctor from Lucknow, used the room to plot logistics and transportation routes for ammonium nitrate meant for several blasts around the Delhi-NCR region.
Students
'Often saw unknown people entering'
"Building 17 was their command post... It became their planning base. They used it for meetings, coordination and possibly to store digital data and blueprints for their operation," ACP (Crime) Varun Dahiya said. Meanwhile, a student who lives near room 13 said, "The door...was always closed. We often saw unknown people entering late at night or early...morning." "Unlike other students who kept their rooms open, this one always had visitors, but no one...spoke much," HT quoted the student as saying.
Plot
Alleged attack plan
ANI, citing sources, reported that eight terrorists were planning to carry out a series of blasts in four cities, including Delhi. The probe revealed that the group planned to split into pairs and carry multiple improvised explosive devices (IEDs) with them. The suspects, including Dr. Muzammil, Dr. Adeel, Umar, and Shaheen, had reportedly raised around ₹20 lakh for their operations. This money was handed over to Umar, who was driving the i20 that exploded near Red Fort, for operational expenses.
Preparation
Doctors may have obtained substances from college
They also procured over 20 quintals of NPK fertilizer worth ₹3 lakh from areas near Gurugram and Nuh for IED preparation. Investigators also believe the accused doctors may have obtained small amounts of substances such as ammonium compounds and oxidizers from the college's biochemistry and pathology labs over several weeks. These materials were stored in rented rooms in Dhauj and Fatehpur Taga in Faridabad, from where police found roughly 2,900 kg of explosive and inflammable substances.
Cops
Room sealed
Cops have sealed the room after recovering electronic gadgets and pen drives during their search. Chemical residues were also found in the room. It is suspected that the explosives were created by mixing the chemicals they obtained with ammonium nitrate and small amounts of metallic oxides. In fact, preliminary findings indicate that Ammonium Nitrate Fuel Oil (ANFO) was utilized in the Red Fort blast, per India Today.