NEW DELHI/SRINAGAR, Jan 4, 2026: Investigations into the “white-collar” terror module responsible for the November 10 car explosion near the Red Fort have revealed a sophisticated communication strategy involving “ghost” SIM cards and encrypted messaging apps. Security officials disclosed today that the accused—highly educated medical professionals including Muzammil Ganaie and Adeel Rather—employed a tactical “dual-phone” protocol.
Each operative carried a “clean” device registered in their own name for professional use, alongside a secondary “terror phone” equipped with a SIM card obtained through stolen Aadhaar credentials of unsuspecting civilians.
These secondary devices were used exclusively to communicate with Pakistani handlers via WhatsApp and Telegram, allowing the recruits to receive IED assembly instructions via YouTube while maintaining a facade of normalcy.
The fallout from this probe has triggered a massive regulatory overhaul by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). Invoking the Telecommunications Act of 2023, the Centre has mandated that all app-based communication services, including WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, and Snapchat, must now be continuously linked to an active, physical SIM card within the device.
Under the new Telecom Cyber Security Rules, service providers have 90 days to ensure their platforms automatically log out users if an active SIM is removed.
This directive aims to eliminate the “SIM-less” loophole that allowed handlers in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) to manage operatives even after a physical SIM was discarded or expired.The investigation, which began following the appearance of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) posters in Srinagar last October, eventually led the Srinagar Police to Al Falah University in Haryana.
There, authorities seized 2,900 kg of explosive precursors like ammonium nitrate and sulphur. The Red Fort blast, which claimed 15 lives, is currently being spearheaded by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
Officials state that the fast-tracked deactivation of fraudulent SIMs, particularly in the Jammu and Kashmir telecom circle, is a critical step in dismantling the digital infrastructure used by terror networks to radicalize and manage “white-collar” sleeper cells.
