YTC Ventures | Technocrat’ Magazine
November 10, 2025
In a chilling escalation of “white-collar” terrorism, Indian authorities have arrested four doctors across four states in just four days, uncovering a sinister network armed with rifles, bomb-making chemicals, and ties to banned outfits like Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and ISIS.
From ammonium nitrate stockpiles hidden in suitcases to assault rifles stashed in hospital cars, these arrests expose how highly educated professionals are being radicalized online, potentially plotting attacks that could have devastated urban centers.
As the nation reels from this “nexus of intellect and insurgency,” experts warn of a new frontier in terror: the infiltration of elite professions.
The rapid-fire busts, spanning November 7 to 10, 2025, were hailed as a “major breakthrough” by police, averting what officials described as a “catastrophic” plot near Delhi. Joint operations by Jammu & Kashmir (J&K), Haryana, Gujarat, and Uttar Pradesh (UP) forces seized over 2,900 kg of explosives, multiple firearms, and even ricin precursors – materials that could fuel IEDs or chemical assaults. Social media is ablaze with outrage and disbelief: #DoctorTerror and #WhiteCollarJihad are trending on X, with users posting, “When healers turn to harm – how deep does this radicalization go?”
The Arrests: A Timeline of Betrayal
The crackdown began on November 7 in Gujarat, where the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) nabbed Dr. Ahmed Syed Zeelani, a 35-year-old physician from Hyderabad who studied in China. Labeled the “leader” of an ISIS module, he was arrested near Ahmedabad’s Adalaj Toll Plaza alongside two accomplices, Azad Suleman Sheikh and Mohd Suhel Salim Khan. Raids yielded two Glock pistols, a Beretta handgun, 30 live cartridges, and 4 liters of castor oil – a key ingredient for ricin, a deadly toxin. Gujarat ATS hasn’t ruled out a chemical attack plan, with Dr. Zeelani allegedly funding operations via Telegram chats with foreign handler “Abu Khadija.”By November 8, the net widened to UP’s Saharanpur, where Dr. Adeel Ahmad Rather, a senior doctor from J&K’s Government Medical College (GMC) Anantnag, was detained for plastering Srinagar walls with JeM propaganda posters.
His locker at the college hid an AK-47 rifle and ammunition, pointing to deeper involvement in a Kashmir-Haryana-UP terror corridor.The plot thickened on November 9 in Faridabad, Haryana, as J&K and Haryana Police, acting on Rather’s tips, raided Al Falah University and Hospital. They arrested Dr. Muzammil Shakeel, a Kashmiri doctor there, from a rented house packed with 360 kg of ammonium nitrate (disguised as 12 suitcases of “household goods”), 20 timers, walkie-talkies, electronic circuits, and remote controls for IEDs.
A Krinkov assault rifle (AK-47 variant) was found in a car belonging to an unnamed woman doctor colleague, marking the fourth arrest. An imam, Ishtiyaq, linked to Shakeel, was also detained, with searches ongoing for more accomplices.
In total, eight arrests (including non-doctors) dismantled a module spanning JeM and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, with recoveries including Chinese Star and Beretta pistols, AK-56 rifles, and enough explosives for multiple blasts. “This is white-collar terror at its worst – professionals using their cover to stockpile death,” a J&K police officer told reporters, emphasizing the group’s interstate logistics.
The Radicalization Pipeline: From Stethoscopes to IEDs
What drives doctors – symbols of healing – into terror’s embrace? Investigators point to online grooming via encrypted apps, targeting educated youth disillusioned by socio-political narratives. Dr. Zeelani, for instance, funneled funds while practicing medicine; Shakeel allegedly used his Haryana posting to stash arms near Delhi.
Preliminary probes reveal no single “mastermind” but a decentralized web radicalizing via JeM and ISIS propaganda, exploiting professional mobility for covert ops.This isn’t isolated. Echoes of the 2023 Kerala doctor ISIS recruitments and 2024 NIA busts of pharma professionals smuggling precursors highlight a pattern: 20% of recent terror arrests involve graduates, per NIA data. “Highly educated radicals pose a unique threat – they’re strategic, less detectable,” says counter-terror expert Ajai Sahni. On X, threads dissect the “doctor jihad” angle, with one viral post: “From Hippocrates to holy war: How do we spot the signs?”
Implications: A Wake-Up Call for National Security
These arrests near Delhi – a terror hotspot – underscore vulnerabilities in urban India. Ammonium nitrate, used in the 2021 Kanpur blast, could level buildings; ricin evokes bioterror fears. With 2,900 kg seized, authorities averted what could rival the 2008 Mumbai attacks in scale.
But questions linger: How many more “healers” lurk? Calls grow for stricter vetting in sensitive sectors, AI-monitored social media, and deradicalization for at-risk professionals.
Prime Minister’s Office has directed enhanced intel-sharing, while NIA takes over the probe. “We’ve nipped a monster in the bud,” said Haryana DGP. Yet, as aftershocks ripple through communities, the face of terror evolves – no longer just foot soldiers, but white-coated wolves.Is this the new normal? Share your views below.
Stay vigilant, India.
This article is for informational purposes only, based on verified reports. For official updates, refer to government sources.
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