Delhi Police sources have revealed that Dr Shaheen Shahid, a Lucknow-based medical practitioner, was arrested for her alleged involvement in efforts to create a women’s wing of Pakistan-based terrorist outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) within India. The arrest follows a major explosives seizure from Faridabad, near the National Capital Region, believed to be part of a larger terror conspiracy.

According to officials, Dr Shaheen Shahid had been handed control of JeM’s women’s wing, known as Jamaat ul-Mominaat. The outfit operates under the command of Sadia Azhar, sister of JeM founder Masood Azhar, from Pakistan. Intelligence inputs suggest the Jamaat was formed with an aim to mobilise women for radicalisation, recruitment, and logistical support across India.

The wing had been tasked with identifying vulnerable young women, particularly from educational institutions and socio-economically weaker backgrounds, for recruitment into the outfit’s operations. Investigators believe Dr Shaheen was creating informal communication and support channels for this mission while based in Lucknow.

Dr Shaheen’s arrest is linked to the seizure of 2,900 kilograms of explosive and inflammable material in Faridabad. The cache was discovered following the detention of another key suspect, Dr Muzammil Ganaie, also known by his alias Musaib. Muzammil, a native of Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir, was a faculty member at Al-Falah University in Haryana and previously listed as wanted in a case involving pro-JeM poster propaganda in Srinagar.

Investigations revealed that Dr Shahid and Dr Ganaie were closely associated, with her car—a Maruti Suzuki Swift bearing a Faridabad registration number—being used to transport weapons and ammunition. A raid on the vehicle led to the recovery of an assault rifle, a pistol, and several rounds of live ammunition.

Following Operation Sindoor in May, which inflicted heavy losses on JeM leadership, security analysts believe the group is attempting to regain influence through decentralised and gender-diverse networks. The Jamaat ul-Mominaat initiative marks the first documented attempt by JeM to formally involve women in its organisational hierarchy.

Reports from Pakistan indicate that recruitment for the women’s brigade commenced on 8 October at the group’s headquarters, Markaz Usman-o-Ali, in Bahawalpur. The campaign is reportedly spearheaded by Sadia Azhar and involves women from various cities including Karachi, Muzaffarabad, Kotli, Haripur, and Mansehra. The strategy prioritises recruiting wives and relatives of existing JeM cadres alongside underprivileged students at seminaries run by the organisation.

Police interrogations have uncovered that Shaheen Shahid maintained digital communication with JeM-linked operatives in Pakistan. Preliminary examination of her electronic devices and financial records suggests she played an intermediary role in channelling funds and facilitating contacts between local sympathisers and JeM’s external coordinators.

Meanwhile, Muzammil Ganaie’s disclosures have guided investigators to multiple rented accommodations in the Delhi–NCR region, yielding around 350 kilograms of additional explosives, 20 electronic timers, and various components used in improvised explosive devices. Authorities are probing possible links to planned attacks targeting major urban centres.

The emergence of Jamaat ul-Mominaat signals a shift in Jaish-e-Mohammed’s recruitment strategy, mirroring tactics employed by other extremist organisations across South Asia and the Middle East that utilise women for logistical roles, propaganda dissemination, and covert operations.

Security agencies are on high alert across northern India, particularly in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Delhi. National Investigation Agency (NIA) officials are expected to take over the formal probe to trace cross-border connections and neutralise any potential sleeper cells affiliated with the women’s wing.

Based On NDTV Report