Dr Shaheen Shahid was born in 1979 and grew up in Lucknow. She was an outstanding student, topping her Class X and Class XII exams at a Government Girls College in the city.
Dr Shaheen Shahid, a medical college lecturer has been arrested from Faridabad and identified as a major player in what investigators are calling a “white-collar” terror network linked to Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). According to early findings, Dr Shaheen was allegedly asked to create and lead the women’s wing of JeM in India. This unit, called Jamaat-ul-Momineen, is a newly formed network focused on recruiting and training women for the banned group. Investigators believe she was trying to build a women-run system for spreading radical ideas and recruiting new members inside India.
According to reports, Sadia Azhar, the sister of JeM founder Masood Azhar, may have personally given Dr Shaheen this task. Sadia leads JeM’s women’s wing in Pakistan. Her husband, Yusuf Azhar was one of the planners of the 1999 Kandahar hijacking, who was killed earlier this year in Bahawalpur during Operation Sindoor.
Officials claim Dr Shaheen stayed in touch with handlers in Pakistan through secret social media channels. Her role was to attract new supporters and help expand JeM’s base in India.
Her arrest came soon after two other medical professionals from Faridabad’s Al-Falah University named Dr Muzammil Ahmad Ganai and Dr Umar U Nabi were detained. Together, they formed the core of an inter-state terror network exposed after a car blast near Delhi’s Red Fort that killed 10 people and injured over 20.
According to Jammu and Kashmir Police, the investigation began in mid-October when JeM posters appeared in Srinagar’s Nowgam area. A series of arrests led to Dr Muzammil’s capture in Faridabad on November 8, where police also found explosives and an AK-47 rifle.
During questioning, Dr Muzammil reportedly revealed details about Dr Shaheen’s role and her coordination with JeM’s female members.
Three days later, on November 11, Dr Shaheen was arrested. Investigators say she used her position as a medical professional to avoid suspicion and help the group with its planning and logistics.
Who is Dr Shaheen Shahid?
According to officials from the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), Dr Shaheen Shahid was born in 1979 and grew up in Lucknow. She was an outstanding student, topping her Class X and Class XII exams at a Government Girls College in the city. She later completed her MBBS and MD degrees from a government medical college in Prayagraj.
In 2006, Dr Shaheen joined the Department of Pharmacology at Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Memorial (GSVM) Medical College in Kanpur as an Assistant Professor. She was sent to Kannauj Medical College for six months in 2009 but returned to Kanpur the next year.
Records show that she suddenly stopped coming to work in 2013 without any leave or explanation. The college administration tried several times to reach her but received no response. Her employment was officially terminated in 2021.
Her first husband, Dr Jafar Saeed, is an eye specialist. After their divorce in 2015, she is believed to have developed a relationship with Dr Muzammil Ahmad Ganai, who is now a main suspect in a wider probe into terror financing and radicalisation networks.
Later, Dr Shaheen became connected with Al-Falah University in Haryana, where investigators say she met Dr Muzammil and began working closely with him.
