Delhi 10/11 Probe: Police Arrest Haldwani Imam Over Links to Red Fort Blast Suspect

Delhi Police arrested Maulana Hasim, the imam of Bilali Mosque in Haldwani’s Banbhoolpura area, in the early hours of Saturday, alleging he maintained direct contact with Umar – the prime suspect believed to have executed the November 10 car bomb blast near Delhi’s Red Fort that claimed 13 lives. The breakthrough came after investigators decrypted critical call detail records recovered from the terrorist’s mobile phone.

A specialised team from Delhi reached the Muslim-majority locality around 2:30 AM and swiftly took the religious leader into custody from his residence in Line Number 8 before whisking him to the national capital for sustained interrogation. Sources indicate the imam’s name repeatedly surfaced in communication logs linked to the blast operative, raising serious questions about possible facilitation or knowledge of the terror plot.

The sudden high-profile detention triggered immediate tension in Banbhoolpura, prompting authorities to blanket the area with heavy security. Additional forces from multiple police stations have been deployed around the mosque and the imam’s house, with rigorous vehicle checks and round-the-clock patrolling imposed across the entire zone to prevent any law and order disturbance.

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Kumaon Zone Inspector General Ridhima Agarwal confirmed that two individuals are currently under questioning based on specific intelligence inputs, with central agencies kept fully informed. Senior officers, including SP Crime Jagdish Chandra and several circle officers, rushed to Haldwani to oversee security arrangements and coordinate with the Delhi investigation team.

The arrest marks a significant expansion of the probe into the Red Fort explosion, which has already exposed a chilling pattern of Jaish-e-Mohammed recruiting highly educated professionals. As investigators intensify efforts to map the entire support network behind the deadliest strike on Delhi in years, the detention of a prominent local religious figure has sent shockwaves through Uttarakhand and underscored the widening reach of the terror investigation.

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