Dr Adil Ahmad (File photo)
NEW DELHI: Days after the Delhi bomb blast that claimed 13 lives and injured over 20, a flight ticket recovered from a garbage pile in Saharanpur has added a new twist to the investigation. The ticket revealed that Dr Adil Ahmad, a Jammu and Kashmir native arrested last week had travelled from Srinagar to Delhi on October 31, just days before the November 10 car explosion near the Red Fort.Officials said the ticket, bearing Adil’s name and travel date was recovered from a garbage pile outside his rented house in Aman Vihar Colony in Saharanpur on Wednesday. The house has since been sealed and placed under police guard. Multiple intelligence and anti-terror teams searched the premises earlier this week, they added.Police sources confirmed that the ticket has been seized and sent for forensic examination. The discovery has raised further questions about Adil’s movements and possible links to the Delhi blast.Investigators are trying to determine how long he stayed in the capital and who he met during that period, news agency PTI reported. Adil was arrested from Saharanpur on November 6. His travel records now suggest that he flew from Srinagar to Delhi barely 10 days before the Red Fort explosion.A qualified doctor with MBBS and MD degrees, he had been working at Famous Hospital on Ambala Road in Saharanpur. Colleagues described him as “quiet, polite and professional.”Despite his professional background, investigators allege that Adil maintained links with terror outfits, including Jaish-e-Mohammed, and may have helped arrange logistics for their operations.Earlier, the Jammu and Kashmir Police took Adil on remand to Srinagar, while central and state agencies expanded their probe into his activities and network. Security agencies from Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh and central intelligence units are currently camping in Saharanpur to trace his local contacts and verify his communications and financial records.Locals in Bapu Vihar Colony, where Adil lived described him as a quiet tenant who kept to himself but often received late-night visitors, with several vehicles frequently seen parked outside.The Jammu and Kashmir Police had registered a case in Srinagar on October 28 after posters supporting the banned outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed appeared in several areas. CCTV footage allegedly showed Adil putting up the posters, leading investigators to trace him to Saharanpur. He was taken into custody from Famous Hospital and handed over to Srinagar Police on transit remand.Dr Babar, a colleague at Famous Hospital said that Adil had joined the facility in March and was “highly competent” in his field.“It is painful that such an educated person could be involved in such shameful acts,” he said.Investigators are now examining whether Adil’s Delhi visit on October 31 had any operational connection to the Red Fort blast or if he acted independently as part of a wider network.His arrest is being seen as part of a broader counterterrorism crackdown following the Delhi blast. Earlier, a “white-collar terror module” was busted in Faridabad and Haryana, where several suspects, including doctors linked to Al Falah University were arrested and large quantities of explosives were recovered.