Delhi blast probe uncovers Jaish women’s wing link, doctor tasked to recruit for terror group

NDTV, quoting sources, has reported that Dr. Shaheen Saeed, a senior faculty member at Al-Falah University in Faridabad, had been in regular contact with Afirah Bibi, the wife of JeM commander and 2019 Pulwama attack mastermind Umar Farooq.

Umar Farooq, the nephew of JeM chief Masood Azhar, was killed in an encounter shortly after the Pulwama terror attack that claimed the lives of 40 CRPF personnel.

According to intelligence inputs, Afirah Bibi has emerged as a key figure in JeM’s newly floated women’s brigade, Jamaat-ul-Mominat.

Weeks before the Delhi blast, Afirah was inducted into the group’s advisory council, Shura, where she worked closely with Sadia Azhar, the younger sister of Masood Azhar, NDTV reported.

Investigators say both women maintained contact with Shaheen Saeed.

Authorities believe Shaheen was tasked with setting up Jamaat-ul-Mominat’s India network and recruiting radicalised women for terror-linked activities.

Dr. Shaheen Saeed was arrested after assault rifles and other ammunition were discovered in her car during raids linked to the ongoing probe.

Originally from Lucknow, Shaheen had previously worked at several medical institutions before joining Al-Falah University.

Records indicate that she headed the Department of Pharmacology at a medical college in Kanpur from September 2012 to December 2013, and later resided in the UAE from 2016 to 2018.

Colleagues at Al-Falah University described her as irregular, often skipping work without notice.

The university has now been asked to furnish her attendance records as part of the investigation.

Who is Dr. Shaheen Saeed?

Shaheen was married to Dr. Hayat Zafar, from whom she separated in 2012. The couple has two children, currently living with Dr. Zafar.

Speaking to investigators, he said he had not been in touch with her since their separation.

“She was never particularly religious; in fact, she was liberal. She wanted us to move abroad—to Australia or Europe—but we had differences over that,” Dr. Zafar told investigators, NDTV reported. 

“Our children do not talk to her. She was a professor of pulmonology and completed her degree in 2006," he said.

Her family, however, has expressed disbelief over her alleged involvement in extremist activities.

Investigators have also identified two other doctors linked to Shaheen—Dr. Muzammil and Dr. Umar, both working at Al-Falah University.

While Shaheen and Muzammil are now in custody, Umar is believed to have been the operative who detonated the car bomb near Delhi’s Red Fort, killing 13 people and injuring 20 others on Monday.

The probe continues as agencies trace financial transactions, online communications, and possible foreign handlers involved in the case.