From Doctor to Terror Accused: Descent of Shaheen Saeed
Red Fort blast probe exposes radicalisation trail of 46-year-old medic
- Shaheen Saeed, a Lucknow-born doctor, named key accused in 10/11 Red Fort blast
- Failed marriages, personal setbacks and new ties allegedly pushed her toward radical networks
- Saeed, husband Muzammil Shakeel and another doctor arrested in Delhi blast case
- Investigators say she was linked to JeM’s women’s wing and oversaw “terror doctors”
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 29th Nov: A 46-year-old doctor, Shaheen Saeed, has emerged as one of the principal accused in the 10/11 blast near Delhi’s Red Fort, marking a disturbing shift from a promising medical career to alleged involvement in terrorism. Investigators say her journey reflects a mix of personal turmoil, radical influence and covert operations that eventually placed her at the centre of the blast probe.
Raised in Lucknow’s Daliganj area, Saeed was known as a bright student who completed her MBBS in Allahabad before specialising in pharmacology. She came from a modest and respected family; her father, Syed Ahmad Ansari, is a government employee. Her first marriage to ophthalmologist Dr Zafar Hayat in 2003 produced two children, but ended in divorce in 2012 — a separation that those close to her say deeply affected her.
Dr Hayat told a news agency that their relationship never showed signs of discord and that Saeed was a loving, attentive mother. He recalled that she expressed a desire to settle abroad for better opportunities, but the idea never materialised. Following the divorce, Saeed withdrew from her academic career at GSVM Medical College and went incommunicado for nearly eight years, eventually losing her job in 2021.
A second marriage to a Ghaziabad-based textile businessman also failed. Around this time, Saeed’s path crossed with Kashmiri doctor Muzammil Shakeel, her junior at Al-Falah University in Faridabad. Their frequent interactions led to marriage in September 2023. According to investigators, this relationship introduced Saeed to student groups and religious circles where she reportedly came under the influence of Jamaat ul-Mominaat — the women’s wing of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM).
Sources say Saeed began participating in meetings, where she was gradually exposed to extremist ideology. Using her position as a doctor, she allegedly travelled across Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi-NCR and Haryana to move funds and relay messages. Investigative agencies claim she was entrusted with heading the India branch of Jamaat ul-Mominaat, overseen by JeM founder Masood Azhar’s sister, Sadia Azhar, based in Pakistan.
Saeed’s elder brother, Mohammad Shoaib, said he had not been in touch with her for the past four years and expressed disbelief at the accusations. Her father also rejected the possibility of her involvement in terrorism, saying he could not reconcile the allegations with the daughter he knew.
According to officials, Saeed was tasked with forming a team of five “terror doctors”. She, along with husband Muzammil Shakeel and another associate, Adeel Ahmed Rather, has been arrested in connection with the blast. The explosion, triggered by a slow-moving Hyundai i20 driven by suicide bomber Umar Mohammad alias Umar un Nabi, claimed at least 15 lives and left several injured. Umar, also a Kashmiri doctor, was affiliated with Al-Falah University.
The investigation continues as agencies piece together the network and motives behind the attack, with Saeed’s alleged radicalisation forming a key part of the story.
