Kasir Bilal sent to 10-day NIA custody as Red Fort blast probe deepens

The investigation into the November 10 Red Fort blast, which has claimed 15 lives so far widened sharply on November 18 as a Delhi court remanded alleged co-conspirator Kasir Bilal Wani to 10 days of NIA custody.

Wani, a resident of Jammu and Kashmir and a close aide of prime accused Umar Nabi, was arrested by the National Investigation Agency on November 17, a day after the agency made its first arrest in the case.

Wani was produced before the Patiala House Court, where the NIA sought his custodial interrogation to unravel the broader conspiracy behind the explosion. Nabi, who had been working as an assistant professor in the general medicine department at Al-Falah University in Faridabad, was behind the wheel of the Hyundai i20 that detonated near the Red Fort.

In a parallel development, the Enforcement Directorate launched early morning searches at the Okhla office of Al-Falah University, its trustees and associated entities. Investigators are examining potential financial links connected to the accused and the wider conspiracy.

Even as the probe intensified, Delhi continued to reel under hazardous air, with the AQI touching 446 at 7 am on Tuesday — a level public health experts equate to smoking nearly 10 cigarettes a day. Bawana recorded an AQI of 419, followed by Jahangirpuri at 414.

Security concerns also spiked across the city’s court complexes after multiple bomb threat emails were received early November 18. The New Delhi Bar Association urged lawyers not to panic and to cooperate fully with security personnel, including during frisking and bag checks at the Patiala House Court.

Later, Association Secretary Tarun Rana confirmed that the threat was ultimately deemed a “hoax”, saying security teams acted swiftly, carried out thorough checks, and ensured normal functioning of courts. “This was done to create a delusion among the legal fraternity,” Rana told ANI, adding that there was “no element of fear” and operations remained smooth.

The NIA is now expected to question Wani extensively as investigators piece together the chain of events leading up to one of the deadliest blasts in Delhi in recent years.