In a major counter-terror operation that has raised security alarms across North India, police have seized 350 kilogrammes of explosives and a rifle from Faridabad, Haryana.

The discovery, believed to involve ammonium nitrate, was made following leads from Jammu and Kashmir police investigations into terror-linked activities involving medical professionals from the region.

The explosives were recovered in a coordinated operation jointly executed by the Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana police forces. Officials confirmed that 20 timers, a pistol, three magazines, and a walkie-talkie set were also found at the location, in what appears to be a well-organised cache intended for serious use.

Sources indicate that the recovery followed disclosures made by Dr Adil Ahmad Rather, who was recently arrested in Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur. Rather, a doctor from Anantnag district, had been detained for allegedly putting up posters supporting the proscribed terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed in Srinagar on 27 October. CCTV footage had captured him placing the posters across several parts of the city, prompting a police manhunt that traced him to Saharanpur.

Following his arrest, Rather underwent extensive questioning, during which he reportedly revealed details about stored explosives in the National Capital Region. Acting on his statements, teams traced the material to Faridabad, where another doctor, identified as Mujammil Shakeel from Pulwama, was also taken into custody. Shakeel, who worked at Al-Falah Hospital, had allegedly been safeguarding the cache under instructions yet to be verified.

Faridabad Police Commissioner Satender Kumar Gupta stated that the explosives were accompanied by sophisticated detonation equipment, signifying the preparedness for potential large-scale attacks. Investigators believe the possession of such equipment demonstrates a heightened level of technical knowledge and operational planning.

The investigation’s roots go deeper into Dr Rather’s earlier employment at the Government Medical College in Anantnag, where officials later discovered an AK-47 rifle and ammunition locked in his personal storage unit. This find, made prior to the Faridabad raid, further cemented suspicions of the doctor’s active role in facilitating terror activities. It has since emerged that he left his government position in October last year, though his movements afterward remain under scrutiny.

Authorities have charged Rather under the Arms Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The arrests have prompted fresh alarm over the infiltration of extremist ideologies among educated professionals, indicating a worrying shift in terror network recruitment tactics.

Investigators are now working to establish the motive behind accumulating such a substantial amount of explosives close to the national capital. Preliminary assessments suggest the material could have been intended for a high-impact attack or supply to other operatives. Forensic and logistical analyses are underway to trace the source and transportation route of the explosives to Haryana, with a particular focus on how the material evaded multiple surveillance and border checks near the capital region.

Security agencies have intensified monitoring across Delhi-NCR, particularly around medical institutions and industrial areas, following indications that the suspects maintained connections with technical professionals capable of handling explosive compounds.

Both central intelligence and state-level anti-terror units remain engaged in the expanding investigation, which officials describe as one of the most alarming developments in recent months due to the proximity of the recovered material to Delhi and the professional standing of those involved.