A woman doctor from Haryana, posted at Government Medical College (GMC) Anantnag in south Kashmir, was briefly detained and questioned by counter-intelligence teams in connection with an alleged "white-collar" terror module but has since been released, officials confirmed on Sunday. Dr Priyanka Sharma, a resident of Rohtak, was held during a raid on her rented accommodation in Anantnag's Malaknag area, where police recovered her mobile phone and SIM card for ongoing forensic analysis.

Sources indicated that her name emerged from the interrogation of Adeel, a former GMC Anantnag staffer arrested earlier, whose call-detail records directly linked to Sharma's address, raising suspicions of potential logistical or financial support to the module. A team from Haryana is en route to Anantnag for thorough background verification, as the probe intensifies amid a multi-state dragnet.

The detention forms part of a broader multi-agency crackdown that has fanned out from Jammu and Kashmir to Delhi, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh, tying into the high-profile Red Fort blast investigation that claimed 13 lives earlier this month. Delhi Police arrested three individuals on Friday night during coordinated raids in Dhauj and Nuh, including two doctors from Haryana's Al-Falah University—Mohammad and Mustakim—who were reportedly in contact with Umar Nabi, the driver of the Hyundai i20 that detonated near the historic site.

Both doctors had ties to Dr Muzammil Ganaie, already in custody for the module, with one present in Delhi on blast day for an AIIMS interview. The university itself faces parallel scrutiny, with the Crime Branch filing FIRs for cheating and forgery following UGC and NAAC reports on irregularities, and police visiting its Okhla office to scrutinise records of suspects.

In Uttar Pradesh, the Anti-Terrorism Squad has placed approximately 200 Kashmiri-origin medical students and doctors under surveillance, reaching out to institutions in Kanpur, Lucknow, Meerut, Saharanpur, and beyond to verify backgrounds and communications. This sweep stems from leads suggesting the module's sophisticated network leveraged educated professionals for funding and procurement, pooling around Rs 26 lakh to acquire explosive materials, including Rs 3 lakh spent on NPK fertiliser.

Dinesh, alias Dabbu, a Haryana resident detained for illegally selling fertiliser, is being probed for possible supply links, while a Wazirpur tea seller was questioned after CCTV captured Umar Nabi pausing there pre-blast. Faridabad Police have conducted exhaustive checks on 140 mosques, 1,700 tenants, 40 fertiliser shops, 200 guesthouses, and over 500 J&K natives as part of a district-wide operation.

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The initial Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act case, filed by Delhi Police, has been handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for a deeper dive into the conspiracy's scope, which authorities describe as a "white-collar" operation blending professional facades with terror financing. Investigators are cross-referencing CCTV from Sunehri Masjid parking—where Umar's vehicle lingered for nearly three hours—against visitor logs and vehicle entries, ensuring every lead is vetted.

This module's emergence highlights vulnerabilities in urban networks, where seemingly innocuous ties among professionals could facilitate high-impact attacks, prompting enhanced intelligence-sharing between state and central agencies.

As the investigation widens, officials emphasise that while Sharma's release indicates insufficient direct evidence at this stage, the forensic phone data could yield pivotal insights. The Red Fort blast, occurring amid heightened security in the capital, has amplified calls for stricter monitoring of cross-state movements and financial trails in sensitive sectors like healthcare.

With no further detentions announced, the focus shifts to preventive measures, underscoring the delicate balance between security imperatives and civil liberties in India's counter-terror framework.

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