LUCKNOW/KANPUR: Police and investigators have arrested Dr. Shaheen Shahid in connection with Monday's explosion near Delhi's Red Fort that killed 12 people and injured around 20.
Her arrest comes as authorities uncover a multi-state terror module linked to
Jaish-e-Mohammed and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, with the recovery of 2,900 kilograms of explosives and arrest of eight people, including three doctors from Al-Falah University in Faridabad.
Shaheen's brother Mohammad Shoaib expressed disbelief over her alleged involvement in terrorist activities, stating that their family is struggling to accept these allegations, according to news agency PTI.
Police suspect Shaheen, a doctor at Al-Falah University, was connected to Dr. Muzammil Ganaie, another faculty member at the same university, who is allegedly part of what authorities call a "white-collar terror module."
Investigators claim Shaheen was heading Jaish-e-Mohammed's women's recruitment wing, Jamaat-ul-Mominat, in India.
"They searched the house and asked questions normally, the same way you are asking me now," Shoaib said. "Neither my father nor I were treated harshly. There was no pressure or force used to make us say anything. They only asked about when my sister stopped visiting us."
Shoaib revealed that he hasn't been in touch with his sister for four years, though their parents maintained occasional contact.
"Parents will naturally call their children to ask how they are doing. I am her elder brother, of course, I would also worry about her. Isn't that normal?" he said.
"Even when she was studying medicine, there was never any sign of her being involved in anything suspicious. I still don't believe these allegations. As I have said before, I simply cannot believe it," Shoaib stated.
Shaheen's former husband, Dr. Zafar Hayat, learned about her alleged involvement only recently. The couple was married in November 2003 and divorced in late 2012.
"Our divorce took place towards the end of 2012. I am not sure what was on her mind that led to it. There was never any dispute or quarrel between us. She was a loving and caring person," Hayat said.
"I never had any inkling that she could be involved in such activities. She was deeply attached to her family and children, loved them immensely and took care of their studies," he added.
"I had never seen her in a burqa. I have no idea about her alleged involvement in any terror activities now being reported. Our divorce happened long ago, in 2012, and if she got involved in something later, I know nothing about it," Hayat recalled.
Hayat mentioned that during their marriage, Shaheen had expressed interest in settling abroad for better opportunities.
The
National Investigation Agency is leading the probe into the Red Fort blast, which police say was caused by a high-intensity explosive device planted in a car.
Her father, Syed Ahmad Ansari, expressed shock at the allegations against his daughter, who completed her medical studies in Allahabad (now Prayagraj).
"I last spoke to Shaheen about a month ago. I have never heard her mention Dr Muzammil or anyone involved in such activities," Ansari told reporters.
Police departments in Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh, along with their specialist units, are investigating the multi-state module.
The investigation revealed the terror network spans across Kashmir, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh, with multiple arrests made following the explosive materials' discovery.
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