Former medical lecturer turns key link in JeM ‘White-Collar’ terror network
Faridabad – Once a promising medical lecturer, Dr. Shaheen Shahid now stands accused as a central figure in a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror network. Investigators claim she worked to establish JeM’s women’s wing, Jamaat-ul-Momineen, on Indian soil under direct guidance from Pakistan-based handlers.
According to probe details, Dr. Shaheen allegedly took instructions from Sadia Azhar, sister of JeM founder Masood Azhar. Sadia, who heads the outfit’s women’s division in Pakistan, reportedly tasked Shaheen with recruiting and radicalising women across India. Security officials said she maintained contact with Pakistani handlers through encrypted social media channels, coordinating recruitment and logistics for the banned group.
Faridabad Module Connection
Dr. Shaheen’s arrest came days after investigators detained two doctors — Dr. Muzammil Ahmad Ganai and Dr. Umar U Nabi — from Faridabad’s Al-Falah University. Both were linked to an inter-state terror module exposed after the Delhi Red Fort car blast, which killed 10 people and injured over 20.
Sources in Jammu and Kashmir Police said the investigation began when JeM posters appeared in Srinagar’s Nowgam area in mid-October. The probe led to Muzammil’s arrest on November 8 and the recovery of explosives and an AK-47 rifle. His interrogation revealed Shaheen’s active coordination with JeM’s female operatives.
Three days later, on November 11, security agencies arrested Shaheen from Faridabad. Officials alleged she used her medical background and professional networks to disguise her activities and manage the group’s logistics.
Raids in Lucknow
Following her arrest, a joint team of the Uttar Pradesh ATS and Jammu and Kashmir Police raided her family home in Lucknow’s Lalbagh area on Tuesday. Officers seized mobile phones, hard disks, and several documents. Her brother, Dr. Parvez Ansari, also a doctor, was detained for questioning.
Their father, Syed Ahmad Ansari, expressed disbelief, saying, “I last spoke to Shaheen a month ago. I had no idea she was involved in anything like this.”
Career Trail and Disappearance
Records show Dr. Shaheen Siddiqui (Shahid) joined Kanpur’s GSVM Medical College in 2006 through the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission. She later worked at Kannauj Government Medical College before going on unauthorised leave in 2013. Despite several notices, she never returned, and the state terminated her in 2021.
A senior GSVM professor recalled, “She was disciplined and quiet. Her alleged involvement in terrorism shocked everyone.” The UP ATS has now collected her academic and attendance records for verification.
Investigators said Shaheen married Maharashtra-based professional Zafar Hayat but divorced him in 2015. She later moved to Faridabad, where she allegedly met Dr. Muzammil and others tied to the JeM network. Officials claim her car, frequently used by Muzammil, once carried a rifle and live cartridges.
Friends described her as “brilliant but withdrawn,” with few knowing about her life after she vanished from academia over a decade ago.
With the NIA now leading the probe, investigators are tracing her digital footprint and connections in Lucknow, Kanpur, and Faridabad to uncover the full scope of the “white-collar” terror module.
