Ayodhya, Varanasi On Radar: Jaish’s Female Recruiter Shaheen Reveals White-Collar Terror Web, Plot To Hit Hindu Shrines

New Delhi/Lucknow: The interrogation of Dr Shaheen Shahid, the Faridabad-based woman arrested on Monday for her links with Pakistan-backed terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), has revealed an alarming terror blueprint — a plan to target major Hindu shrines, including Ayodhya and Varanasi, through coordinated blasts.

According to top intelligence officials, Shaheen, employed with Al Falah University, played a key role in setting up the women’s wing of JeM (Jamaat-ul-Mominat) in India, which operates under the command of Sadia Azhar, sister of Jaish chief Masood Azhar. Investigators say she had been recruiting women and students to support the terror group’s network across northern India.

During the interrogation, Shaheen revealed that her associate, Dr Umar Nabi, who died in the Red Fort car blast, had spoken of “unleashing multiple terror attacks” across India. Sources said Shaheen and Umar would frequently meet inside the Al Falah University campus, along with two other suspects — Dr Muzammil and Dr Adil Ahmad Rather — both of whom had allegedly been stockpiling explosives such as ammonium nitrate for nearly two years.

The revelations point to a larger, coordinated plot aimed at triggering violence at religious sites in Uttar Pradesh, particularly Ayodhya and Varanasi. Officials said the terror module had already activated sleeper cells in the region, with plans to detonate an explosive in Ayodhya. The attack was reportedly foiled just in time, preventing what could have been a Mumbai-style 26/11 attack.

Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) has joined the probe, verifying links between the Red Fort blast and the planned strikes in UP. The ATS has also visited the Red Fort blast site to study similarities in explosive materials and patterns.

Investigators have detained a Gurugram-based ammonium nitrate supplier, believed to have provided the material used in the car blast.

Shaheen also disclosed that her brother Parvez Sayeed was radicalised and was part of the same encrypted chat group that included Umar, Muzammil and Adil — all reportedly discussing targets, logistics and movement of chemicals.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA), which has now taken over the Red Fort blast case, is expanding its probe into possible cross-border coordination and financial channels used to fund the JeM module. Officials say the revelations from Shaheen’s interrogation have unmasked one of the most sophisticated sleeper networks unearthed in recent years, with a clear focus on fomenting communal unrest by attacking iconic Hindu shrines.

Shaheen’s arrest came after a coordinated operation by the Jammu & Kashmir Police and Faridabad Police, which busted a major Jaish terror module operating across multiple states. During a 15-day search, security forces recovered assault rifles, pistols and 14 bags of ammonium nitrate weighing over 360 kg from a rented room in Faridabad.

A Swift car belonging to Shaheen was also seized, containing a Krinkov assault rifle with three magazines and 83 rounds, a pistol with eight live rounds, two magazines and two empty shells, officials confirmed.

The crackdown began with the arrest of Dr Adil, a doctor from Government Medical College, Anantnag, from whose locker an AK-47 rifle had earlier been recovered. His interrogation led investigators to other suspects, including Dr Muzammil and Dr Shaheen Shahid.

Intelligence sources say that Dr Adil acted as a key handler for JeM in India, maintaining contact with Pakistan’s ISI and coordinating local logistics and recruitment.

Recovered communication devices have reportedly revealed encrypted chats with Pakistan-based handlers, establishing a link between the Jaish module and Ansar Ghazwa-ul-Hind (AGuH), an Al-Qaeda affiliate active in South Kashmir.

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