As anti-terror sleuths looked for her, Al-Falah doctor Shaheen Shahid had a passport verification visit on campus
Faridabad: Dr Shaheen Shahid, one of the Al-Falah University doctors arrested for the Delhi terror plot, had applied for a passport and was, according to investigators, planning to flee to Dubai while her associates gave final shape to their plans.
But the radicalised doctors' module began unravelling with arrests in Jammu & Kashmir, Saharanpur and Faridabad and police got to her before she could make her getaway.
Shaheen's association with the module was revealed after her colleague Dr Muzammil Ahmad Ganaie was arrested on Oct 30, and he was found to be using Shaheen's Swift Dzire, from which an assault rifle was recovered.
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Sources said Shaheen had applied for a passport and a cop from Faridabad visited her on the Al-Falah campus and took a photograph on Nov 3, even as the security machinery was trying to track her down. She was eventually arrested from Lucknow on Nov 11.
"J&K Police initially did not share details and told us that they were here to nab a male doctor of the Al-Falah University for his involvement in pasting some objectionable posters in their state. We got to know about the case a few days later," a police officer from Faridabad said.
On Nov 9, the day police uncovered nearly 3,000kg of ammonium nitrate and other explosive substances from two rented places in Faridabad, a Krinkov assault rifle was found inside a Swift Dzire owned by Shaheen, which led cops to her. Muzammil, who was using the Dzire, allegedly organised the ammonium nitrate stockpile.
A Maruti Brezza, one of the three cars linked to the ‘white-coat' terror module behind the Nov 10 blast, was also registered in Shaheen's name in Sept. It was traced to the Al-Falah University campus on Thursday. Faridabad police said J&K Police learned during Shaheen's interrogation that the vehicle was parked there and arrived with its key. The Brezza was found near Tower 17, where Muzammil lived.
Investigators said Shaheen led the module operating in Al-Falah. "Whenever conflicts arose among the doctors involved, Shaheen would step in to settle disputes. The group mainly targeted students and doctors from their own state or region, and several individuals are now under the scanner," an officer said.
5 detained from Nuh in a week
Over the past week, central agencies have detained five people from Nuh — three MBBS doctors, a fertiliser seller and a cleric.
On Thursday night, two doctors were picked up from Ferozepur Jhirka. Sources said one suspect, from Sunehra, completed his MBBS in China and was interning at Al-Falah University until Nov 2. The second, from Ahmadbas village, is also an MBBS student at the university.
Both are believed to be close to Dr Umar Un Nabi, who was in the Hyundai i20 that exploded near the Red Fort Metro station, killing 13 people. The car had been caught on CCTV on the Delhi–Mumbai Expressway and in Ferozepur Jhirka before entering Delhi.
The third doctor, detained from Tauru town, worked in a private hospital and is also a former student of Al-Falah University.
On Friday, NIA teams raided multiple locations in Nuh, including Pinangwan. A fertiliser seller was detained for allegedly supplying 300kg of ammonium nitrate, and a few others were picked up for questioning. While they were licensed to sell the chemical, investigators said they failed to verify the purpose of the bulk purchase.
Amid a district-wide high alert, local police units have intensified combing and search operations across Faridabad. Units from NIT, Ballabhgarh and the Central zone conducted extensive checks on Friday in sensitive areas, markets and crowded neighbourhoods. Police spokesperson Yashpal said special teams were carrying out continuous, intensive checking to "tighten security arrangements and detect any suspicious activity at the earliest".
District magistrate has also invoked Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, covering hotels, guest houses, PG accommodations, tenants, cyber cafés and used-vehicle dealers. Under it, all hotels, guest houses, PGs, dharamshalas and hospitals are required to record and preserve ID details of every person staying on their premises. C-forms have been made mandatory for foreign nationals staying in any hotel, guest house, PG, dharamshala or hospital.
Cyber cafes have been told to maintain a register with names, addresses, ID details and copies of visitors' IDs. House owners also have to get police verification of all tenants.
Car garages, mechanics, denting-painting shops and used-vehicle dealers have been directed to maintain full records of every vehicle and its owner.
Car dealers are required to share details of vehicles bought or sold with the nearest police station. Mobile vendors also have to record all transactions involving old mobile phones or SIM cards, including affidavits from buyers and sellers listing their name, address, phone details, IMEI numbers and declarations that the device or SIM is not stolen. A group of residents, including retired defence personnel, met police commissioner Satender Kumar Gupta on Friday and offered to help police in their investigation.
But the radicalised doctors' module began unravelling with arrests in Jammu & Kashmir, Saharanpur and Faridabad and police got to her before she could make her getaway.
Shaheen's association with the module was revealed after her colleague Dr Muzammil Ahmad Ganaie was arrested on Oct 30, and he was found to be using Shaheen's Swift Dzire, from which an assault rifle was recovered.
Video
Sources said Shaheen had applied for a passport and a cop from Faridabad visited her on the Al-Falah campus and took a photograph on Nov 3, even as the security machinery was trying to track her down. She was eventually arrested from Lucknow on Nov 11.
"J&K Police initially did not share details and told us that they were here to nab a male doctor of the Al-Falah University for his involvement in pasting some objectionable posters in their state. We got to know about the case a few days later," a police officer from Faridabad said.
On Nov 9, the day police uncovered nearly 3,000kg of ammonium nitrate and other explosive substances from two rented places in Faridabad, a Krinkov assault rifle was found inside a Swift Dzire owned by Shaheen, which led cops to her. Muzammil, who was using the Dzire, allegedly organised the ammonium nitrate stockpile.
A Maruti Brezza, one of the three cars linked to the ‘white-coat' terror module behind the Nov 10 blast, was also registered in Shaheen's name in Sept. It was traced to the Al-Falah University campus on Thursday. Faridabad police said J&K Police learned during Shaheen's interrogation that the vehicle was parked there and arrived with its key. The Brezza was found near Tower 17, where Muzammil lived.
Investigators said Shaheen led the module operating in Al-Falah. "Whenever conflicts arose among the doctors involved, Shaheen would step in to settle disputes. The group mainly targeted students and doctors from their own state or region, and several individuals are now under the scanner," an officer said.
5 detained from Nuh in a week
Over the past week, central agencies have detained five people from Nuh — three MBBS doctors, a fertiliser seller and a cleric.
On Thursday night, two doctors were picked up from Ferozepur Jhirka. Sources said one suspect, from Sunehra, completed his MBBS in China and was interning at Al-Falah University until Nov 2. The second, from Ahmadbas village, is also an MBBS student at the university.
Both are believed to be close to Dr Umar Un Nabi, who was in the Hyundai i20 that exploded near the Red Fort Metro station, killing 13 people. The car had been caught on CCTV on the Delhi–Mumbai Expressway and in Ferozepur Jhirka before entering Delhi.
The third doctor, detained from Tauru town, worked in a private hospital and is also a former student of Al-Falah University.
On Friday, NIA teams raided multiple locations in Nuh, including Pinangwan. A fertiliser seller was detained for allegedly supplying 300kg of ammonium nitrate, and a few others were picked up for questioning. While they were licensed to sell the chemical, investigators said they failed to verify the purpose of the bulk purchase.
Amid a district-wide high alert, local police units have intensified combing and search operations across Faridabad. Units from NIT, Ballabhgarh and the Central zone conducted extensive checks on Friday in sensitive areas, markets and crowded neighbourhoods. Police spokesperson Yashpal said special teams were carrying out continuous, intensive checking to "tighten security arrangements and detect any suspicious activity at the earliest".
District magistrate has also invoked Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, covering hotels, guest houses, PG accommodations, tenants, cyber cafés and used-vehicle dealers. Under it, all hotels, guest houses, PGs, dharamshalas and hospitals are required to record and preserve ID details of every person staying on their premises. C-forms have been made mandatory for foreign nationals staying in any hotel, guest house, PG, dharamshala or hospital.
Cyber cafes have been told to maintain a register with names, addresses, ID details and copies of visitors' IDs. House owners also have to get police verification of all tenants.
Car garages, mechanics, denting-painting shops and used-vehicle dealers have been directed to maintain full records of every vehicle and its owner.
Car dealers are required to share details of vehicles bought or sold with the nearest police station. Mobile vendors also have to record all transactions involving old mobile phones or SIM cards, including affidavits from buyers and sellers listing their name, address, phone details, IMEI numbers and declarations that the device or SIM is not stolen. A group of residents, including retired defence personnel, met police commissioner Satender Kumar Gupta on Friday and offered to help police in their investigation.
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