Red Fort Blast: Accused Used 'Ghost' SIM Cards to Contact Pakistani Handlers

PTI, Srinagar/New Delhi, Jan 5, 2026 : Investigations into the "white-collar" terror module linked to the blast near Delhi's Red Fort on November 10 last year show that highly educated doctors used a sophisticated web of "ghost" SIM cards and encrypted apps to coordinate with Pakistani handlers, officials claimed on Sunday.

The outcome of the investigations essentially formed the basis for the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to issue a sweeping directive on November 28 last year, mandating that app-based communication services like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal must be continuously linked to an active, physical SIM card within the device.

Officials said the probe into the "white-collar" terror module and the blast led to the discovery of a network of "ghost" SIM cards used by the arrested doctors, including Muzammil Ganaie, Adeel Rather, and others, as part of a tactical "dual-phone" protocol to evade security agencies. Each accused, including Dr Umar-un-Nabi, who was killed while driving the explosives-laden vehicle near the Red Fort, carried two to three mobile handsets, they said.

The accused carried one "clean" phone registered in their own names for routine personal and professional use to avoid suspicion, and one was the "terror phone" used exclusively for WhatsApp and Telegram communication with their handlers in Pakistan, identified by codenames 'Ukasa', 'Faizan', and 'Hashmi'. The SIM cards for these secondary devices were issued in the names of unsuspecting civilians whose Aadhaar details were misused, the officials said.

Jammu and Kashmir Police further unearthed a separate racket where SIM cards were issued using fake Aadhaar cards, they added. According to the officials, security agencies noted a disturbing trend where these compromised SIMs remained active on messaging platforms across the border in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) or Pakistan.