The Jammu and Kashmir Police’s unravelling of a ‘white-collar’ terror module has revealed that a group of doctors, radicalised since 2016, formed a new outfit named “Ansar Interim” to carry out subversive activities in Jammu and Kashmir, even as security agencies flagged an ecosystem of mule bank accounts misused by terror groups to move funds undetected.

Officials said on Sunday that the investigation into the module, now being probed by the National Investigation Agency, has exposed both an emerging operational network and a financial backbone that could support separatist and anti-national activities.

Security agencies have, over the past three years, identified and frozen more than 8,000 mule accounts operating in the region, exposing what officials described as a sophisticated network of money laundering.

They described these accounts as the "weakest yet most crucial link" in the cybercrime chain, as without them, the conversion of stolen money into untraceable cryptocurrency would be impossible.

Central security agencies have asked the Jammu and Kashmir Police and other law enforcement agencies to hold consultations with banks to curb the mushrooming of 'mule accounts' and identify middlemen, who facilitate such financial frauds, they said.

A single scammer is often supplied with 10 to 30 mule accounts at a time, and in many cases, bank accounts are opened in the name of fictitious companies, enabling large transactions of up to Rs 40 lakh in a single day without immediately raising alarms.

Officials said the money trail is deliberately messy, with the scammed money rapidly shifted through several accounts and broken into smaller transactions to avoid detection.

Central security agencies and other law enforcement organisations have emphasised that while mule account holders may not design the scams or speak to the victims, they are active facilitators of money laundering.

By sharing credentials and accepting commissions, they knowingly provide the "financial infrastructure" for transnational crime.

"The entire scam ecosystem depends on these accounts. Without a destination for the money, the scam fails at the first step. Those renting out their accounts are not just victims of circumstance; they are the engines of the crime," a senior official said.

A detailed study by central agencies has identified individuals in countries such as China, Malaysia, Myanmar and Cambodia directing people in the Union Territory to create private crypto wallets, often set up using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to avoid detection and requiring no Know Your Customer (KYC) or identity verification.

The Jammu and Kashmir Police has already suspended the use of VPNs in the Valley as it is a handy tool for terrorists as well as separatists to avoid detection.

The case also brings to light that Dr Umer-un Nabi — the man behind the wheel of the explosive-laden car that exploded outside the Red Fort on November 10, killing over a dozen people — had unsuccessfully attempted to join terror groups in 2016 and 2018, officials said.

Piecing together evidence gathered so far, officials said the accused doctors — Muzamil Gannie, Umer-un Nabi (now dead), and Adeel Rather, along with his brother Muzzafar Rather (absconding), as well as Maulvi Irfan, Qari Aamir, and Tufail Gazi met at Eidgah in downtown Srinagar in April 2022.

During the meeting, they decided to form a terror organisation "Ansar Interim," with Adeel named as the 'Ameer' (chief) of the group, Maulvi Irfan as 'Deputy Ameer,' and Gannie as treasurer, officials said, adding that among militant groups, "Ansar" is commonly associated with the globally banned terror outfit Al-Qaeda.

The arrested doctors and preachers told interrogators that the need to form a new group emerged because all their contacts with active terrorists had been severed, officials said. Roles and operational codes were assigned to members during the meeting.

Umer assumed the role of coordinator and, along with Gannie, handled finances and procurement.

It was in 2023 that the group decided to acquire fertiliser from the Sohna and Nuh areas of Haryana. On the instructions of Umer, NPK (commonly known as Potassium Nitrate in this context) was also procured from a chemical shop in Faridabad.

During interrogation, the arrested doctors said Umer began watching online videos to learn rudimentary Improvised Explosive Device (IED) construction and had managed to prepare Triacetone Triperoxide (TATP), one of the most notable peroxide explosives used as filling for IEDs in several terrorist attacks.

According to officials, Adeel had started to look for members for the new terror group and roped in an individual named Danish, alias Jasir, from south Kashmir.

Adeel took Danish to a rented accommodation within Al-Falah University in Faridabad, where both saw Umer and Gannie preparing TATP explosive materials.

Umer later tried to persuade Danish to carry out a 'fidayeen' (suicide) attack, but he backed out at the last minute, citing his poor economic condition and the belief that suicide was forbidden in Islam.

Umer, a 28-year-old doctor from Pulwama, is believed to have been the most radicalised member and key operative in a network spanning Kashmir, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh. Officials suspect he was planning a powerful Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Device (VBIED) blast.

Evidence suggests his original plan was to place a VBIED in a crowded place, either in the national capital or at a site of religious importance, and then flee.

However, the plot fell apart when Srinagar police's meticulous investigation led to Gannie's arrest and the seizure of explosives. This likely caused Umer to panic, finally ending in the premature blast outside the Red Fort.

The inter-state network was exposed after the appearance of JeM posters on walls in Bunpora, Nowgam, on the outskirts of Srinagar, on October 19.

Srinagar police registered a case and reviewed CCTV footage, leading to the arrest of three locals — Arif Nisar Dar alias Sahil, Yasir-ul-Ashraf, and Maqsood Ahmad Dar alias Shahid all of whom had prior stone-pelting cases.

Their interrogation led to the arrest of Maulvi Irfan Ahmad, a former paramedic-turned Imam from Shopian, who allegedly supplied the posters and used his access to radicalise the doctors.