Following a deadly car blast in Delhi, security measures were tightened in Uttar Pradesh, with anti-terror agencies conducting raids linked to a terror module associated with Jaish-e-Mohammed. Dr. Shaheen Sayeed, a doctor with ties to a newly formed women’s group by JeM, was arrested, leading to further investigations across multiple states.
Photo : PTI
Security was tightened across Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday following the deadly car blast near Delhi’s Red Fort that killed at least 12 people and injured more than 20. In Lucknow, anti-terror agencies raided the home of Dr Shaheen Sayeed – a woman doctor arrested in connection with the Faridabad explosives case that exposed a “white-collar” terror module linked to the banned Jaish-e-Mohammed.
A joint team of the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS), Lucknow Police, and central agencies searched Sayeed’s residence in Muttaqipur locality, seizing documents and questioning family members and neighbours as part of an expanding counter-terror probe.
Eight people, including three doctors, were arrested on Monday, and 2,900 kg of explosives were seized in Faridabad during a 15-day operation spanning Kashmir, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh. Among those held was Sayeed, who hails from Lucknow and was associated with Al-Falah University in Faridabad.
Meanwhile, Dr Sayeed’s family denied any knowledge of her alleged role.
Doctor’s Alleged Link to JeM’s Newly Formed Women Wing
Who is Dr Sayeed?
Investigators claimed that Jamaat-ul-Mominaat was formed after JeM decided to establish a women’s unit. The announcement was reportedly made through a letter issued in the name of JeM chief Masood Azhar, a UN-designated terrorist, in October. The group’s leadership was handed to Sadiya Azhar, wife of Yusuf Azhar, who was killed during Operation Sindoor on May 7 when India struck JeM’s headquarters in Bahawalpur.
Marriage, Divorce and Possible Radicalisation
According to a Mumbai police official, “Dr Shaheen Sayeed had married a Maharashtra resident named Zafar Hayat, but the couple parted ways in 2015.”
After her divorce, Sayeed began living alone and continued her academic association with Al-Falah University. Officials suspect that she may have been indoctrinated during this period, possibly through online propaganda or extremist circles.
Her father in Lucknow acknowledged that his daughter had been married earlier but said he was unaware of any further developments.
Terror Module Spanning Multiple States
Eight people, including three doctors, were arrested following a 15-day operation involving multiple security agencies. Among them was Dr Muzammil, from whose possession a large cache of explosives was recovered. Police believe Shaheen was in touch with Muzammil and may have assisted him.
Muzammil was also wanted by Jammu and Kashmir Police in a separate case related to a social media post allegedly supporting Jaish-e-Mohammed.
Security Alert Across Uttar Pradesh
“Vigilance has been increased in all major districts and instructions have been issued for round-the-clock patrolling,” a senior police official said.
The heightened alert covers key cities including Noida, Ghaziabad, Meerut, Varanasi, Prayagraj, Ayodhya, Mathura-Vrindavan, Gorakhpur, Kanpur, Saharanpur, and Aligarh, officials said.
Among the 12 victims of the Delhi blast were Ashok Kumar (45) from Amroha and Nauman Ansari (18) from Shamli district, along with two other victims from Uttar Pradesh.
ISI’s Influence and Growing Radicalisation Concerns
Intelligence inputs have raised alarm over rising radicalisation among female students in Jammu and Kashmir. Authorities have intensified surveillance over several educational institutions, particularly private schools, suspected of spreading extremist ideologies.
Officials said disturbing reports suggest that some private schools in the Kashmir Valley were allegedly promoting a rigid interpretation of Islam, diverging from the region’s centuries-old Sufi tradition.
They warned that this trend could destabilise the Valley further, with a resurgence of pan-Islamist thought among youth.
The educational system of the Kashmir Valley has been irreversibly harmed, one official said, noting that extremist influences are filling the vacuum left by weak institutions and limited job opportunities.