Red Fort Blast Case: NIA Custody Extended For Dr Bilal Naseer Malla

A Delhi court has extended the National Investigation Agency custody of Dr Bilal Naseer Malla, an accused in the Red Fort blast case, by seven days. In the same proceedings, the court sent Faridabad resident Soyab to five days of judicial custody in connection with the investigation.

Both accused were brought to Patiala House Court under tight security after their earlier four-day NIA custody, granted on December 15, ended. Media personnel were not allowed inside the courtroom, and the hearing took place behind closed doors.

Red Fort blast case NIA custody and details of arrests

The accused appeared before Principal and Sessions Judge Anju Bajaj Chandna, who permitted the agency to continue questioning Dr Bilal Naseer Malla for another week. The judge ordered that Soyab remain in judicial custody until December 24, shifting responsibility for Soyab from investigators to jail authorities.

An NIA spokesperson had earlier stated that Soyab, a resident of Dhauj in Haryana’s Faridabad district, was arrested for allegedly extending logistical support to “terrorist” Umar-un-Nabi ahead of the Delhi terror bomb blast. The agency claims this support formed a crucial link in the build-up to the attack.

Red Fort blast case NIA custody and wider investigation

Dr Naseer Bilal Malla was arrested in Delhi on December 9, with the NIA describing Malla as a key figure in the conspiracy. Investigators allege Malla knowingly sheltered Umar-un-Nabi, arranged logistics, and later helped destroy evidence linked to the terrorist attack near the Red Fort.

According to the NIA, the wider case already involves nine other arrested individuals. These include three doctors, Dr Muzammil Ganaie, Dr Adeel Rather, and Dr Shaheen Sayeed, along with religious preacher Maulvi Irfan. Two more accused, Amir Rashid Ali and Jasir Bilal Wani, also known as Danish, are similarly in custody.

On December 18, the agency detained the ninth accused, Yasir Ahmad Dar, from Jammu and Kashmir. NIA officials allege Dar is a close associate of Umar-un-Nabi, took part actively in the conspiracy, and had allegedly sworn an oath to carry out self-sacrificial operations as part of the plot.

Investigators say Umar-un-Nabi drove the explosive-laden i20 car that blew up outside the Red Fort on November 10. With each fresh custodial order and arrest, the NIA continues to piece together the alleged network behind the blast and the support system that followed it.