The Delhi blast investigation has uncovered a terror network led by Dr. Shaheen Shahid, a former faculty member at Al-Falah University in Faridabad. Investigators are currently searching for nineteen missing women believed to have been radicalized by her. Dr. Shaheen, also known as "Madam Surgeon" within her network, is suspected of establishing and leading the women's wing of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) in India.
The investigation gained momentum following the arrest of Dr. Shaheen's colleague, Dr. Muzammil Ahmad Ganaie, on October 30th. He was apprehended while driving Dr. Shaheen's car, from which an assault rifle was recovered. The network began to unravel with arrests across Jammu & Kashmir, Saharanpur, and Faridabad, leading to Dr. Shaheen's arrest in Lucknow on November 11th.
Preliminary investigations suggest that Dr. Shaheen was responsible for forming a female recruitment and operations network under the banner of Jamaat-ul-Momineen, the women's brigade of the Pakistan-based terror outfit. The module is believed to be behind the car blast near Delhi's Red Fort, which occurred on November 10th and resulted in multiple fatalities. The Delhi Police's FIR called the explosion "a bomb blast". Initial probes suggest the blast may have been accidentally triggered while a device was being transported.
Investigators are scrutinizing WhatsApp messages retrieved from Dr. Shaheen's phone, revealing coded language and frequent contact with two unidentified women saved as "Madam X" and "Madam Z". The word "medicine" was frequently used in chats, which investigators believe referred to explosives.
The probe has expanded to include Dr. Shaheen's foreign travels and overseas associations. UP ATS officers are working to determine how many passports Shaheen tried to obtain by using multiple identities and suspect she was planning to flee to Dubai. Investigators consider the siblings' international movements a crucial thread in mapping the radical network they are suspected to be linked to. Agencies are also tracing Dr. Shaheen's visit to Lucknow in August.
The investigation has uncovered a larger terror financing network linked to the Delhi blast. Two more men were arrested from Nuh's Hayat Colony, intensifying suspicion of a wider terror financing network connected to Al-Falah University. Shoaib, one of the arrested, previously worked as an electrician at Al-Falah University. Nearly 200 individuals linked to Al-Falah University or known to have interacted with the accused are now under scrutiny.
The accused had jointly raised approximately Rs 20 lakh in cash, which was handed over for operational expenses. The funds were allegedly used to procure over 20 quintals of NPK fertilizer for preparing IEDs. The accused had begun modifying vehicles for potential use in attacks.
Dr. Shaheen served as the Head of the Department of Pharmacology at Kanpur Medical College from September 1, 2012, to December 31, 2013. After separating from her husband in 2015, she lived alone and maintained limited contact with her family. After her transfer, Dr. Shaheen later worked at Al Falah University in Faridabad, Haryana, where investigators believe she may have been radicalised.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is carrying out investigations into the matter. The government has directed that the investigation into the terror incident be pursued with the utmost urgency and professionalism so that the perpetrators and their collaborators are brought to justice.
