Red Fort Blast: Accused Doctor Adeel Rather Sought Advance Salary Weeks Before Terror Act, Reveals Investigation

Two months before the car bombing near Delhi’s Red Fort, accused Dr Adeel Ahmed Rather urgently sought an advance on his salary, a request investigators now believe may have been linked to funding the attack. Adeel, who previously served as a senior resident at the Government Medical College in Anantnag, had joined a hospital in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, in March 2025.

Despite drawing a good salary, his deleted messages, accessed by India Today, recovered after his arrest on November 6, show him repeatedly asking a senior at the hospital for money between September 5 and 9.

In the texts quoted by India Today, Adeel pleaded, “Requested a salary credit… in dire need of money,” and continued to push with messages such as, “Need salary as soon as possible, sir,” and “I’m in very need, sir.” Investigators told the channel that Adeel eventually contributed ₹8 lakh of the Rs 26 lakh spent on the blast and was known within the group as “the treasurer”, as revealed by co-accused Dr Muzammil Shakeel during interrogation.

The NIA has named four main accused in what it describes as a “white-collar terror network”, Dr Muzammil Shakeel Ganai of Pulwama, Dr Adeel Ahmed Rather of Anantnag, Dr Shaheen Saeed of Lucknow and Mufti Irfan Ahmad Wagay of Shopian. The Red Fort blast, which killed 14 people and injured dozens, involved a Hyundai i20 rigged with IEDs.

Following Adeel’s arrest, police recovered an AK-56 rifle and ammunition from a locker at GMC Anantnag, leading to further raids in Faridabad where explosives were stored. The National Medical Commission has since cancelled the registrations of all four doctors.

Adeel remains in NIA custody as the investigation is ongoing.