Who is Muzammil Shakil? J-K doctor who hid 350 kg explosives in Faridabad house

A joint operation by the police forces of Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana along with the Intelligence Bureau (IB) has foiled a major terror plot in recent days. The forces also recovered around 350 kilograms of explosives material and a large cache of arms and ammunition from Faridabad near Delhi. The arms and ammunition were seized from a rented accommodation in Dhauj village on Monday. Initial reports suggested that RDX was recovered in the operation but police later clarified that it was ammonium nitrate.

On Monday, police said the explosives were found at the residence of Dr. Muzammil Shakil, who had rented the house in Dhauj about three months ago. This has brought attention on Shakil, who is reportedly an MBBS graduate. Shakil had been teaching at Al-Falah University of Dhauj -- a privately-run institute recognised by the University Grants Commission (UGC) and situated roughly 45 km from Delhi. He was taken into custody by the Jammu & Kashmir Police on October 30 after the arrest of Dr. Adil Ahmad Rather, another accused linked to the same terror network.

Police said that information obtained during the interrogation of the two accused led to the recovery operation in Faridabad. Both are said to be part of a larger module which is suspected to have cross-border links and was planning large-scale terror attacks across northern India. Police also said that the assault rifle linked to Shakil was found inside a Swift Dzire car belonging to a woman doctor employed at the Al-Falah University.