In a significant counter-terror breakthrough, security agencies have arrested a local cleric from Shopian, Jammu and Kashmir, for allegedly radicalising a group of doctors and educated professionals tied to the Delhi car blast probe.
The arrested man, identified as Irfan Ahmad Wagah, also known locally as Imam Irfan, is accused of recruiting and indoctrinating educated youth – including medical students and doctors – under the guise of religious study and guidance. Investigators believe Wagah played a key role in forming a so-called “white-collar terror network” that aimed to use well-educated individuals to plan and execute extremist operations.
According to officials, Wagah served as both a religious preacher and a paramedical professional before allegedly misusing his influence to spread radical ideology. His connections reportedly extend to multiple districts in Kashmir, including Srinagar and Shopian, where he organised private meetings to propagate extremist narratives.
Authorities say that digital evidence seized during raids – including communication logs, encrypted chats, and documents – revealed that Wagah had direct communication with individuals now under the scanner for their suspected involvement in the Red Fort car explosion that shook Delhi last week.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA), which has taken over the case, is examining links between Wagah and the previously busted Faridabad terror module, where nearly 2,900 kilograms of explosive material and bomb-making components were recovered. Investigators suspect that Wagah may have been instrumental in guiding or motivating individuals connected to that module.
Officials familiar with the matter said the arrest highlights a concerning new phase in radicalisation patterns – one that targets the educated and professional classes rather than traditional militant recruits. Authorities have termed this phenomenon as “white-collar extremism”, warning that such operatives can act as intellectual or logistical enablers for larger terror plots.
Sources have confirmed that several of Wagah’s associates – including doctors and medical students from Srinagar – are currently being interrogated to trace funding channels and recruitment networks. The NIA is also coordinating with local police in Kashmir to map out potential sleeper cells operating in educational and healthcare institutions.
The arrest of Imam Wagah marks another major lead in the ongoing investigation into the Delhi Red Fort blast, which authorities suspect was part of a broader terror conspiracy spanning multiple states.
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