Delhi Red Fort blast: UP doctor tasked with building Jaish’s Women’s Wing; colleagues recall her ‘strange behaviour’

Dubai: She was a doctor, polite but aloof — a face seen often in the corridors of Al Falah University in Faridabad.

Yet, colleagues now recall Dr Shahin Shahid’s “strange behaviour” — her frequent absences, secretive visitors and abrupt departures.

No one imagined that the Lucknow-based physician was, in fact, tasked with building the Indian arm of the women’s wing of Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) — a covert unit aimed at recruiting educated women and professionals for the outfit.

Double life of a doctor

According to investigators, Shahid was working quietly under the radar to set up Jamaat-ul-Mominat, JeM’s women’s recruitment wing. The revelation came after the arrest of several suspects linked to a “white-collar terror network” that spanned Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh, and after the Red Fort blast that killed 13 and injured 20 on Monday evening.

A professor at Al Falah University told NDTV the recent events had “brought clarity” to what many had sensed but never voiced.

“She didn’t follow discipline. She would leave without informing anyone,” the professor said. “Many people used to come to meet her. Her behaviour was often odd, and complaints had been made to the management.”

The university has pledged full cooperation with the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which has taken over the probe.

Explosives and associates

Shahid was arrested in connection with the seizure of 2,900 kilos of explosives from rented rooms belonging to Dr Muzammil Ganaie, alias Musaib, a Kashmiri doctor teaching at the same university. Police said Shahid’s Maruti Suzuki Swift (HR 51) was found to have been used to store an assault rifle, pistol, and ammunition.

Investigators believe Shahid and Ganaie were coordinating logistics and recruitment for JeM’s India operations — part of what officials describe as a “well-educated, professional terror network.”

Pulwama link and Red Fort blast

The network is now believed to be tied to Dr Umar Nabi, a medical professional from Pulwama, who drove the Hyundai i20 that exploded near the Red Fort on Monday. Nabi, also linked to Al Falah University, is thought to have triggered the blast after learning that Shahid and other operatives had been detained.

Officials said the car contained ammonium nitrate, fuel oil, and detonators, and that a suicide attack has not been ruled out. DNA samples have been taken from Nabi’s mother to confirm his identity. Another Pulwama resident, Tariq, was arrested for allegedly providing the vehicle.

Capital on edge

The explosion has pushed Delhi on high alert, with vehicle checks tightened at entry points and traffic diversions near the Red Fort. The NIA has registered a case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Explosives Act.

Among the dead were Ashok Kumar (34) from Amroha and Amar Kataria (35) from Delhi.

An intelligence officer summed up the scale of the case:

“This wasn’t street-level terror. This was white-collar — doctors, educated youth radicalised for logistics and operations.”

Doctor’s double life: Tasked to build Jaish women’s wing