Amid the ongoing probe into the blast near the Red Fort, the first image of Dr Shaheen Shahid, a woman doctor, was arrested from Lucknow for her alleged role in a terror module operating across Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh. She was arrested in connection with the massive explosives haul in Faridabad near Delhi, following the busting of a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror module.
According to intelligence sources, Dr Shaheen, who was tasked with establishing a women's wing of the terror organisation Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) in India, was arrested along with seven others, including Dr Muzammil Ganaie from Kashmir, who was detained in Faridabad. An AK-47 rifle was recovered from her car.
The women's wing operates under the command of Saadia Azhar, sister of Jaish chief Masood Azhar, who heads its Pakistan-based unit. Saadia's husband, Yusuf Azhar, was among the masterminds of the 1999 Kandahar hijacking.
2,900 kg of explosives were seized
Hours before the Delhi blast, eight people, including three doctors, were arrested, and 2,900 kg of explosives were seized with the uncovering of a "white collar" terror module involving the Jaish-e-Mohammed and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind.
This operation was carried out based on the information provided by a man named Muzammil, who had already been arrested. A Swift car was also recovered from Muzammil, registered in the name of a woman doctor.
Shaheen's connection with Muzammil
Based on the information provided by Dr Muzammil, security agencies have recovered over 2,000 kg of suspected explosives, believed to be ammonium nitrate, from a house in Fatehpur Taga village, Faridabad. The house belonged to Hafiz Ishtiaq, the cleric of the Dhauj village mosque, who has since been detained and is under interrogation, police sources said.
Investigations have also revealed that the Swift car seized during the raids was registered in the name of Dr Shaheen, a resident of the Lalbagh area of Lucknow and a faculty member at Al-Falah University. Dr Shaheen was arrested by the Jammu and Kashmir Police, airlifted to Srinagar, and placed under custodial interrogation. Investigators are probing how long Dr Muzammil and Dr Shaheen had been in contact and since when Muzammil had access to her vehicle.
According to officials, Dr Muzammil Ahmed, who was teaching as a general physician at Al-Falah University in Faridabad for the past three and a half years, lived in the doctors' quarters on campus. He was arrested in a joint operation by the Jammu and Kashmir and Faridabad Police.
Following his arrest, authorities recovered 360 kg of ammonium nitrate from a house in Dhauj village, located just 500 meters from the university campus. In addition, a walkie-talkie, 20 timers, 20 batteries, a wristwatch, and several chemicals were found in the same room.
From the Swift car linked to Dr Shaheen, investigators recovered an assault rifle, 83 rounds of ammunition, two magazines, a pistol, several live cartridges, two empty shells, and a pistol magazine.
Also Read: Delhi Red Fort blast: Mother of Umar, driver of i20 car, called for DNA test in J-K's Pulwama
Also Read: Delhi Red Fort blast: Police probe focuses on '3-hour mystery' and Al-Falah University link
