Delhi doctors with foreign degrees under investigation in terror probe

New Delhi: To identify more doctors potentially linked with the alleged terror module involved in the car blast near Delhi's Red Fort on November 10, the investigating agencies have sought details of doctors who obtained their degrees abroad to interrogate them and examine their criminal history and financial transactions.

Central enforcement agencies, including the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the National Investigation Agency (NIA), along with the Delhi Police, have directed hospitals, private clinics, and nursing homes across the national Capital to provide detailed information on such doctors.

In a letter, the agencies mentioned that they want the names, qualifications and employment records of doctors on their rolls who studied in Pakistan, Bangladesh, the UAE and China.

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The move follows the ongoing investigation into an alleged “doctor terror module”. Officials said the move is part of an intelligence-driven effort to identify potential associates or sympathisers of the module’s members.

Healthcare staff from various hospitals told The Hindu that foreign medical graduates have been questioned over the past few days. “Besides probing possible links with terror networks, the police are also examining issues related to corruption and misappropriation of funds within certain institutions. No resident doctor has been detained so far,” said a resident doctor at a private hospital in Delhi, requesting anonymity.

A senior Delhi Police officer told HT, "The objective is to map the academic and personal networks of the module’s suspected operatives, particularly the alleged primary suspect. Agencies will question all doctors who completed their degrees from these four countries. Their criminal antecedents and financial transactions will be examined to rule out any association with the module."

Officials stressed that "The outreach to hospitals is 'preventive and investigative' in nature and does not imply wrongdoing by foreign-educated doctors. However, recent evidence has prompted agencies to revisit past travel histories, communication patterns and financial flows involving individuals who may have been in proximity to the module’s members."

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