Terror-Accused Doctor's Life Decoded By Ex-Husband, Father And Brother

In a narrow lane of Lucknow's densely populated Daliganj area, the home of Syed Ahmad Ansari is getting unusual attention since news emerged that his daughter, Dr Shaheen Saeed, had been arrested over a powerful blast around 550 km away in New Delhi and for alleged links with a Jaish-e-Mohammed-linked terror module. 

Two days after the Red Fort blast in the national capital that killed at least nine and injured around a dozen, the doctor's family continues to speak in disbelief. Her elder brother, her father and her former husband all insist there had never been the slightest sign that she could be connected to anything unlawful. 

Dr Saeed has been accused of working to establish the women's recruitment wing of the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) in India.

Dr Saeed with some of her friends.

Dr Saeed was arrested following the discovery of 2,900 kg of explosive materials from two rented rooms in Faridabad, near Delhi. The rooms belonged to Dr Muzammil Ganaie, a Kashmiri doctor and fellow faculty member at Al-Falah University, where Dr Saeed worked.

According to sources, Ganaie, also known as Musaib, was part of what they call a "white-collar terror module" with ties to terror outfits Jaish-e-Mohammed and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind. A search of Dr Saeed's Maruti Suzuki Swift, registered in Faridabad, allegedly yielded an assault rifle, a pistol, and ammunition. According to sources, she was in close contact with Ganaie and had been given charge of the India branch of Jamaat-ul-Mominaat -- the women's wing of JeM -- which is headed in Pakistan by Sadia Azhar, sister of JeM chief Masood Azhar.

The Family 

In Lucknow, her elder brother Mohammad Shoaib said police and ATS officers had visited their home but treated them with courtesy. "They searched the house and asked questions normally, the same way you are asking me now," he said, as quoted by news agency PTI. "Neither my father nor I were treated harshly. There was no pressure or force used to make us say anything. They only asked when my sister stopped visiting us." 

He added that the siblings had not spoken for four years. "We have had no contact. It's been four years since we last spoke," he said, though their parents occasionally checked on her. "Parents will naturally call their children to ask how they are doing. I am her elder brother; of course, I would also worry about her. Isn't that normal?"

A document bearing Dr Saeed's photo from Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj University, Kanpur.

Shoaib said he had never visited her residence near IIM Road, in the outskirts of Lucknow.

"No, I have never gone there. I only knew that she has a house somewhere along the IIM Road. I don't even know the exact location," he said. He denied having ever suspected her of any wrongdoing.  "Even when she was studying medicine, there was never any sign of her being involved in anything suspicious. I still don't believe these allegations. As I have said before, I simply cannot believe it," he said.

Dr Saeed's father, Syed Ahmad Ansari, echoed that disbelief like her brother.

"I cannot believe that my daughter was involved in such activities," he said as quoted by news agency IANS. Ansari explained that Dr Saeed studied medicine in Allahabad and later worked in Faridabad. 

"My eldest son, Shoaib, lives here with me. The second, Shaheen Syed, was arrested yesterday. My younger son, Parvez Ansari, whose house was raided this morning, left the city long ago. I last spoke to Shaheen about a month ago, but I talk to Parvez almost every week. I had no idea about Shaheen's arrest." 

He recalled that Dr Saeed had been married to a man from Maharashtra and later divorced.

The Former Husband 

Around 90 km away in Kanpur, officers from the Crime Branch questioned Dr Zafar Hayat, Dr Saeed's former husband. Dr Hayat said that he learned of Shaheen's arrest only on Tuesday evening. 

"We were married in November 2003 and both pursued medical studies separately, with me being her senior," he said. "Our divorce took place towards the end of 2012. I am not sure what was on her mind that led to it. There was never any dispute or quarrel between us. She was a loving and caring person. I never had any inkling that she could be involved in such activities. She was deeply attached to her family and children, loved them immensely and took care of their studies."

Recalling their years together, Dr Hayat said Dr Saeed never wore a burqa except during their wedding. 

"I had never seen her in a burqa. I have no idea about her alleged involvement in any terror activities now being reported. Our divorce happened long ago, in 2012, and if she got involved in something later, I know nothing about it. Once she suggested that we settle in Australia or Europe for a better salary and quality of life. But I told her we already live a good life here, have good jobs and kids. We have our relatives and everyone here, we would feel alone there," he recalled.

Kanpur Commissioner of Police Raghubir Lal confirmed that intelligence inputs after the Delhi blast had prompted the Crime Branch to question Dr Hayat. The Crime Branch also visited the Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Memorial (GSVM) Medical College, where Dr Sayeed had once taught, to review her records.

The Probe 

Investigators say Dr Sayeed vanished from her post at GSVM Medical College in 2013 without notice, leading to her dismissal in 2021. They allege that after joining Al Falah University, she came into contact with Dr Ganaie and two other doctors now under arrest in the Faridabad explosives case. Dr Ganaie, a native of Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama, had already been named in a Jammu and Kashmir Police case for displaying posters supporting JeM. 

His interrogation led to the seizure of the 2,900 kg of ammonium nitrate, timers, and detonators.

Intelligence agencies have linked the case to the JeM's attempt to rebuild its networks after Operation Sindoor, in which key JeM figures, including Yusuf Azhar -- husband of Masood Azhar's sister Sadia -- were killed in May. The JeM formally announced the creation of its women's unit, Jamaat-ul-Mominaat, in Bahawalpur in October, with recruitment reported across Bahawalpur, Karachi, Muzaffarabad, Kotli, Haripur, and Mansehra. Officials allege that Dr Sayeed, with her medical credentials and academic cover, was expected to replicate that model inside India.