Red Fort blast: Arrested UP woman doctor Shaheen Sayeed was tasked with setting up Jaish's women wing; Pulwama link emerges

NEW DELHI: A woman doctor from Uttar Pradesh has emerged as a key suspect in a widening terror investigation that began with what officials describe as a "white-collar" terror network spanning multiple states and intensified by Monday's deadly car blast near Delhi's Red Fort.

According to investigators, Dr Shaheen Sayeed, associated with Al Falah University in Faridabad, was allegedly tasked with setting up the women’s recruitment wing of the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) in India. The wing, called Jamaat-ul-Mominat, was meant to attract educated women and professionals into the group's network, news agency PTI reported quoting sources.

Shaheen was among eight people, including three doctors, arrested after agencies busted an interstate terror module operating across Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh, seizing nearly 2,900 kg of explosives, including ammonium nitrate.

The arrests came just hours before the Red Fort blast , which killed at least 12 people and injured 20 others on Monday evening. Investigators now believe the blast and the module are linked.

Officials said the nature of the blast indicates a well-coordinated operation and that the role of JeM and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind operatives in organising a professional, educated terror network is being closely examined.

"This was a white-collar terror setup — with doctors and educated youth being radicalised for logistical and operational roles," an intelligence officer told PTI.

The Pulwama link

Preliminary findings in the Red Fort blast have found that Dr Umar Nabi, a medical professional from Lethpora in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district, was driving the Hyundai i20 that exploded near a traffic signal outside Red Fort. Nabi, also connected to Al Falah University, is believed to have died in the blast.

Officials suspect that Umar carried out the explosion after learning that several of his associates — including Shaheen — had been detained. Police sources said the vehicle contained ammonium nitrate, fuel oil, and detonators, and a suicide attack has not been ruled out.

Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golcha confirmed that multiple agencies, including the NIA and the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), are probing the incident. The Home Minister has been briefed regularly, he said.

Jammu and Kashmir Police have taken DNA samples from Umar’s mother to match with remains recovered from the blast site. Investigators have also arrested Tariq, another Pulwama resident who allegedly provided the car used in the attack.

Teams from Delhi Police, NIA and intelligence agencies have fanned out across Delhi, Kashmir and Haryana, detaining at least four more individuals for questioning. Footage from multiple CCTV cameras near the Red Fort and Laal Qila Metro station is being analysed.

Following the explosion, Delhi has been placed on high alert, with vehicle checks intensified at all entry points and key transit hubs. The Red Fort Metro station has been closed, and traffic diversions have been enforced around the area.

Police said the blast killed 12 people, including residents of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh. Among the victims were Ashok Kumar (34) of Amroha and Amar Kataria (35) of Delhi.

The NIA has registered a case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Explosives Act, covering conspiracy and execution of a terror attack.