Delhi blast accused Dr Shaheen's family reacts to her terror links: 'We cannot believe...'

The family of Shaheen Shahid, the Lucknow-based woman doctor who has been arrested in connection with a major explosives recovery in Faridabad and linked to the terror module behind the blast near Red Fort in Delhi on Monday, has reacted to her terror activities, saying they are unable to come to terms that their daughter was involved such a sinister plot.

Shaheen Shahid is currently in custody in connection with the explosives haul in Faridabad was working with a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror module in India which was busted with the recovery of more than 2,900 kg of explosives from two rented flats in Faridabad.

Intelligence sources said Shaheen had been given the responsibility of establishing the women’s wing of the Pakistan-based group in India. Shaheen Shahid had been assigned to set up the India branch of Jamaat ul Mominaat, which is led in Pakistan by Sadia Azhar, the sister of Jaish founder and wanted terrorist Masood Azhar. Sadia Azhar’s husband, Yusuf Azhar, was involved in the Kandahar hijacking and was reported to have been killed during Operation Sindoor on May 7.

Shaheen's family reacts to her terror links

In Lucknow, Shaheen’s family lived earlier in house number 121 in Kandhari Bazaar. Her father said that Shaheen is one of three siblings. The eldest, Shoaib, lives with him in Lucknow. Shaheen is the second child, who studied medicine in Allahabad and later moved away from the family home. She had been working in Faridabad and was married to a man from Maharashtra. The youngest son, Parvez, is the third sibling, and his residence was searched by authorities on the morning of the arrest.

Shaheen’s father maintained that he does not believe his daughter could be involved in such activities. He said that though she had been living away from the family for a long time, he could not imagine her taking part in anything linked to terrorism.

Delhi blast and the terror conspiracy

The Ministry of Home Affairs on Tuesday handed over the investigation into the blast near the Red Fort to the National Investigation Agency, according to sources. This move indicates that the government is treating the incident, which has claimed 12 lives so far, as a terror attack since the NIA is responsible for handling terror related cases.

A source confirmed that the case has now been transferred to the NIA. The decision followed a security review meeting chaired earlier in the day by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who assessed the situation in the national capital and other parts of the country after the blast. He has called for another review meeting on Tuesday afternoon.

The home minister said that leading investigative agencies are examining the blast and will carry out a detailed and thorough inquiry. The explosion occurred in a slow moving car at a traffic signal near the Red Fort metro station at around 6.52 pm on Monday, resulting in the deaths of at least 12 people and damaging several vehicles, officials said.