HALDWANI: A breakthrough in the Delhi blast investigation led Delhi Police to Uttarakhand’s Haldwani, where a local religious leader, Maulana Mohammad Asim Qasmi, was detained early Saturday for suspected links to the operative allegedly behind the explosion.
Sources close to the investigation revealed that the breakthrough came after Delhi Police decrypted crucial data and tracked the call detail records (CDR) from the mobile phone of the suspected terrorist, Umar.
Around 2:30 AM, a specialised team conducted a swift operation in the Muslim-majority locality of Banbhoolpura, detaining Maulana Mohammad Asim Qasmi, the Imam of the Bilali Mosque, and immediately transporting him to Delhi for intensive questioning.
The raid, carried out in Line Number 8, immediately heightened tensions among residents. Following the high-profile detention, security has been significantly increased across the Banbhoolpura area. Local police forces, including additional personnel from multiple police stations, are maintaining a heavy presence around the mosque and the Imam’s residence.
“Since Saturday morning, every corner of Banbhoolpura has been under tight police surveillance,” reported a local source. Authorities are conducting rigorous checks on all incoming and outgoing vehicles, intensifying security across the entire zone as a precautionary measure.
Kumaon Zone IG Ridhima Agarwal confirmed the development on Saturday morning, stating, “Following specific intelligence inputs, we are currently questioning two individuals in connection with the ongoing investigation.” She added that central intelligence agencies have been informed about the developments stemming from the Uttarakhand operation.
Senior local law enforcement officials, including SP Crime Jagdish Chandra, CO Bhawali Amit Saini, and CO Ramnagar Sumit Kumar Pandey, along with several station house officers, rushed to the scene immediately after the detention to manage the situation and coordinate security arrangements.
“Security has been significantly stepped up around the mosque and the Imam’s residence since early this morning,” an official confirmed, indicating the gravity of the Delhi-linked terror probe unfolding in the quiet town of Haldwani.
On November 10, at around 6:52 pm, a slow-moving i20 car exploded near the Red Fort, killing 13 people and injuring several others. The investigation has since found that terror groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammed are increasingly recruiting highly educated professionals, including doctors.
