Dr Shaheen Shaheed, a Lucknow-based medical professional arrested in connection with the Faridabad terror module case, was allegedly assigned to set up and lead the women’s wing of the Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) in India, according to investigative sources. Early findings indicate that she was tasked with creating a female recruitment and operations network under the banner of Jamaat-ul-Momineen, the women’s brigade of JeM.
Investigators believe the assignment may have come directly from Sadia Azhar, the sister of JeM founder Masood Azhar and head of the organisation’s women’s wing in Pakistan. Dr Shaheen is suspected to have maintained contact with handlers across the border and worked to expand JeM’s base of radicalised recruits through covert social-media communication and local sympathisers.
Security agencies are now examining Shaheen’s associates, her digital footprint, and financial links to determine the full scope of the planned female-led terror network on Indian soil.
The Faridabad module was exposed earlier this week when police recovered 2,900 kg of explosives and inflammable material from two rented rooms belonging to Muzamil Shakeel, a Kashmiri doctor. Officials suspect the module’s involvement in the car blast near Delhi’s Red Fort, which killed 10 people. According to sources, Mohammad Umar, another suspected module member employed at Al Falah Medical College in Faridabad, had planned the attack with two accomplices but executed it alone after their arrests earlier the same day.
In response, the Uttar Pradesh ATS launched parallel raids in Lucknow, targeting the residence of Dr Parvez, Shaheen’s brother, which is registered in her name. Investigators also seized records from Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Medical College (GSVM) in Kanpur, where she had served as an assistant professor.
College officials confirmed that Shaheen joined GSVM in 2006, later transferred to Kannauj Medical College in 2009, and went on unauthorised leave in 2013, ignoring multiple notices. Her employment was formally terminated by the state government in 2021.
Shaheen, who divorced her husband Zafar Hayat in 2015, had reportedly been living alone in Lucknow and was untraceable for a period. Colleagues described her as quiet and professional, saying they were shocked by her alleged involvement. She completed her medical education in Prayagraj nearly 25 years ago and has two brothers, Shoaib and Parvez.
Authorities are now combing through her professional history, personal communications, and overseas links. The Uttar Pradesh government has requested all official records from her tenure at GSVM as the probe into JeM’s female recruitment network deepens.
