Delhi Bomb Blast : How Accused Doctor Built a Shadow Network
In a chilling revelation from the probe into last week’s devastating Red Fort explosion, authorities have uncovered the role of Shaheen Saeed, a Lucknow-based doctor and key co-accused, in assembling covert squads of medical professionals aligned with terrorist operations.
NDTV has learned from investigation insiders that Saeed, recently taken into custody, spearheaded the creation of specialized units dubbed “terror doctors.” These groups, each comprising five physicians, were structured with a designated leader to streamline secretive communications and minimize risks. Saeed limited her direct outreach to these leaders only, ensuring broader isolation among members to thwart potential leaks or betrayals during arrests, the sources explained.
The strategy aimed to preserve operational secrecy across multiple cells, prompting investigators to intensify efforts in mapping the full scope of Saeed’s recruitment drive and identifying all involved parties.
Beyond her medical facade at Al-Falah University in Faridabad—a institution now under intense scrutiny for lacking mandatory security clearances—Saeed held a pivotal position in expanding the women’s division of the Pakistan-headquartered Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). Dubbed Jamaat ul-Mominaat, this arm falls under the oversight of JeM chief Masood Azhar’s sister, Sadia Azhar, based in Pakistan. Saeed’s mandate included establishing and directing its Indian operations.
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Her arrest follows that of two associates: Muzammil Shakeel Ganaie from Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir, and Adeel Ahmed Rather from Anantnag in the same region. All three stand accused of orchestrating critical elements of the October 14 blast, which claimed 15 lives and wounded dozens more when a Hyundai i20, piloted by suicide bomber Umar un Nabi, detonated near the historic Red Fort.
Umar, another Al-Falah University affiliate and Kashmiri doctor, had produced radicalizing videos and conducted virtual training on suicide tactics, per probe details. Sources indicate he received bomb-making instructions from JeM handler Hanzulla just hours prior to the attack.
This plot emerged amid a parallel breakthrough by Jammu and Kashmir Police, who dismantled a sophisticated interstate terror network tied to JeM and the al-Qaeda-linked Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind. The operation yielded 2,900 kilograms of explosives, including ammonium nitrate—the same substance implicated in the Delhi carnage—highlighting the syndicate’s “white-collar” sophistication in blending professional lives with jihadist agendas.
As Delhi reels from the tragedy, the unraveling of Saeed’s medical-terror nexus underscores the evolving threats posed by educated radicals infiltrating everyday institutions.