Dr. Mohammad Arif Mir, a 32-year-old senior resident in DM Cardiology at the LPS Institute of Cardiac Surgery and Medicine, part of GSVM medical college in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, has been detained by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on Thursday over alleged links to a terror module under investigation for the Red Fort car blast in Delhi.
Originally from Anantnag in Jammu & Kashmir, Dr. Arif joined the GSVM (Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Memorial) Medical College in Kanpur in August 2025. He was admitted into the DM Cardiology super-specialty course through national-level counseling, according to college officials. His early evaluations by colleagues described him as a “bright student” with a strong academic record.
Dr. Arif was detained from his rented apartment in Ashok Nagar, Kanpur, where ATS agents confiscated his laptop and mobile phone for forensic examination. According to officials, his name surfaced during the interrogation of Dr. Shaheen Saeed, a former GSVM professor alleged to be part of the same terror network. Investigators report that Arif had telephonic contacts with Dr. Shaheen and her brother Dr. Parvez, both under investigation. Reports also suggest that Dr. Mohammed Arif was also a previous classmate of Dr. Umar Nabi, the suicide bomber of the Delhi car blast and contacted him days before the blast
Authorities have also noted that the group allegedly used a shared email ID to exchange draft messages, a tactic sometimes used by terror networks to evade surveillance.
Not everyone in Dr. Arif’s immediate circle believed something was amiss. His landlord, Kanhaiya Lal, said there was nothing unusual about his stay: “He stayed here for less than a month … I never noticed anything suspicious.” Meanwhile, his flatmate, Dr. Abhishek, told the media they were simply colleagues sharing accommodation and denied any knowledge of radical activities. Asked upon any behavioural changes on and after the days of Delhi blast, he denied any visible changes on the accused.
On the hospital front, the Chief Medical Superintendent (Cardiology) at LPS Institute said Arif had been regular in duty, and no prior complaints had been recorded. Another senior faculty member echoed this, noting that Arif’s conduct had been “good” but adding that evaluating behavior over four months was inherently limited.
Dr. Arif’s arrest is part of a wider network probe: two other doctors from Uttar Pradesh, both linked to Al-Falah University, were also detained as part of the investigation.
Around the same time, Delhi Police detained Dr Farooq Ahmad Dar, an assistant professor in Hapur, Uttar Pradesh.
Security agencies are now piecing together whether this group represents an organized terror cell or individual actors acting on shared ideology.
Investigators have transported Arif to Delhi for questioning alongside other suspects. Meanwhile, the Kanpur medical college has initiated a screening of all cardiology students, though the administration maintains that Arif’s academic credentials were strong.
(Rh/TL)
