Terror Suspect Was In Touch With Pulwama Attack Mastermind's Wife: Sources

In a big revelation, investigators probing the Jaish-e-Mohammed link in the Delhi blast and Faridabad explosives haul have found that Dr Shaheen Saeed was in touch with Afirah Bibi, the wife of Jaish commander and Pulwama attack mastermind Umar Farooq.

Umar Farooq, the nephew of Jaish chief Masood Azhar, was killed in an encounter in the wake of the 2019 Pulwama attack that claimed the lives of 40 personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).

Umar's wife, Afirah Bibi, it is learnt, is a key face of the Jaish's newly launched women's brigade, Jamaat-ul-Mominat. Weeks before the blast in Delhi, Afirah joined Shura, the brigade's advisory council. She works alongside Sadia Azhar, the younger sister of Masood Azhar, and the two were in touch with Shaheen Saeed, sources have said. 

Shaheen Saeed, who was working as a senior doctor at Faridabad's Al-Falah University, was arrested after assault rifles and other ammunition were found in her car. The investigation has found that Shaheed Saeed was tasked with setting up Jamaat-ul-Mominat's India wing and recruiting radicalised women for terror activities.

Shaheen Saeed, originally from Lucknow, had earlier worked in several medical colleges before joining Al-Falah University. According to the investigation so far, she was the Head of the Department of Pharmacology at a medical college in Kanpur from September 2012 to December 2013. Her passport details revealed that she lived in the UAE for two years, from 2016 to 2018.

Shaheen Saeed's colleagues have said she would often skip work without informing anyone.

Shaheen Saeed was married to a doctor, Dr Hayat Zafar, but they separated in 2012. They have two children, who stay with Dr Zafar. Her former husband has said he has not been in touch with her since they parted ways.

"She was never particularly religious, and she was a liberal. She wanted us to settle in Australia or Europe. After that, we separated," he said earlier. "We had differences over going to Australia. My children do not talk to her. She was a professor of pulmonology. She completed her degree in 2006," she said. Shaheen's father has said he does not believe she could be involved in such activities.

Shaheen, it is learnt, would often skip classes, and the university authorities had also received complaints against her. She was also a member of the college's core committee. Investigators have now asked the university authorities for her attendance details to find when she was present in class. 

Doctors Shaheen, Muzammil, and Umar were working at the Al-Falah University in Faridabad. While Shaheen and Muzammil are in custody, Umar is believed to have died when he triggered the car blast near Red Fort, killing 13 people and injuring 20 others on Monday.