Red Fort blast: Dr Shaheen sought to recruit women for blast

After working as a professor at a medical college in Saudi Arabia, she returned to India and was unemployed for three years, when she reportedly came into contact with a terror outfit and eventually went on to become the commander of the women’s wing of Jaish-e-Mohammed, investigators said.

Gurugram: Dr Shaheen Shahid, a former teacher at Al-Falah University and a key accused in the Delhi blast case, had lived in Saudi Arabia from 2014 to 2018, officials privy to the investigation said. She also sought to recruit women to carry out the bombing, officials with central agencies said, adding that the same was also confirmed by the Faridabad police.

An officer said investigators found the valuables in a digital locker inside her hostel room (Hindustan Times)

After working as a professor at a medical college in Saudi Arabia, she returned to India and was unemployed for three years, when she reportedly came into contact with a terror outfit and eventually went on to become the commander of the women’s wing of Jaish-e-Mohammed, investigators said.

“Preliminary findings indicate that she had already established links with a foreign-based terror outfit when she returned to India. Over the next few years, she strengthened those ties and expanded her network,” an official, requesting anonymity, said.

In a search of Shahid’s room on the Al-Falah University campus, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) recovered ₹18.5 lakh, two gold biscuits and jewellery weighing 300 grams, and foreign currency from Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and the UAE.

A second officer said investigators found the valuables in a digital locker inside her hostel room. “There were multiple packets filled with ₹500 notes. No one expected such a large amount of cash to be stored inside a university accommodation,” the officer said, adding that the team counted the notes manually.

Officials also recovered several “suspicious documents” believed to contain encrypted information and possible overseas communication trails.

Shahid reportedly became closely associated with co-accused Dr Muzammil after joining Al-Falah University as a professor in 2021. They eventually got married, a step that investigators believe was also aimed at expanding their network. “Her association with Muzammil was strategic. Their goal was recruitment and strengthening the module,” another investigator said.

An officer with the Faridabad police said, “The investigation so far shows that she was not just aware but actively involved in creating a network inside the university.”