UP Police, ATS Seize Weapons and Devices in Lucknow Raid Linked to Red Fort Blast Probe

A coordinated raid by the Uttar Pradesh Police and Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) at the Lucknow residence of Parvez Ansari, the brother of detained Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM)-linked doctor Shaheen Shahid, yielded a major haul on Wednesday: six mobile phones, three large knives, an international calling card, multiple digital storage devices, and sophisticated communication equipment. The operation is a direct extension of the ongoing probe into the deadly Red Fort car blast, which erupted just hours after authorities dismantled a “white-collar” terror module operating out of Faridabad on Monday.

Parvez Ansari, a faculty member at Integral University in Lucknow, attempted to escape immediately after his sister’s arrest on Monday night but was swiftly detained by security forces. He remains in custody and is undergoing rigorous interrogation. Investigators have confirmed that the recovered mobile phones were actively used to maintain contact with operatives in Jammu, while the international calling card enabled secure communication with handlers based abroad. Most alarmingly, Ansari had developed a custom signal-blocking system specifically designed to prevent law enforcement from tracing or intercepting his calls and messages.

During the thorough search of his home, officers discovered a computer equipped with a concealed secondary disk drive, which experts believe may contain encrypted files, operational plans, financial records, or recruitment data critical to the terror network. Forensic digital teams are now working around the clock to decrypt and analyze the contents of this hidden storage, hoping to uncover further links between the Faridabad module, the Red Fort attack, and potential sleeper cells across northern India.

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In addition to the electronic arsenal, the ATS recovered three long-bladed knives, raising serious concerns about their intended use. Authorities are examining whether these weapons were stockpiled for future attacks, training purposes, or self-defense within the module. Ansari’s vehicle, registered in Saharanpur, was also seized after intelligence linked it to Adil Ahmad, another key suspect from Anantnag arrested on November 7 by Jammu and Kashmir Police while working undercover at Famous Hospital in Saharanpur.

With high security alerts now enforced across Uttar Pradesh, intensive search operations continue in major cities including Lucknow, Saharanpur, Lakhimpur Kheri, Noida, Ghaziabad, Meerut, Varanasi, Prayagraj, Ayodhya, Mathura-Vrindavan, Gorakhpur, Kanpur, and Aligarh. The statewide crackdown reflects a zero-tolerance strategy to dismantle Jaish-e-Mohammad’s expanding urban network and prevent any further strikes on Indian soil.

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