Dr Shaheena Saeed – a key suspect in the Delhi Red Fort blast case – would speak darkly of her ‘work’ starting only after 4 pm every day, after she clocked out of her ‘day job’ at the Al-Falah School of Medical Sciences and Research Centre in Faridabad, sources told NDTV Thursday.
Saeed also carried a rosary (known in Islam as misbaha or tasbih) and a hadith book (a collection of Prophet Muhammad’s teachings), officials familiar with the investigation said.
A colleague of hers told NDTV of her ‘strange behaviour’; she did not adhere to the institution’s rules and would often leave without informing anyone, he said, asking not to be named. The institute, which has been served a show-cause notice by the NAAC, has distanced itself from the Red Fort attack and pledged cooperation with the investigation and “unwavering commitment to the security of the nation”.
Earlier this week Saeed was identified as the head of the women’s wing of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist group. Intelligence suggests the JeM – responsible for the 2001 attack on Parliament and the 2019 Pulwama assault – was running this particular cell.
READ | Arrested UP Doctor Tasked With Setting Up Jaish’s Women Wing In India
A resident of Lucknow’s Lal Bagh, Saeed was arrested Monday, hours before a panicked fourth member of the terror cell – DNA tests identified him as Umar Mohammad – drove and detonated a Hyundai i20 stuffed with explosives near the Red Fort, killing himself and 13 others.
Intelligence sources said Saeed earlier served as Head of the Pharmacology Department at the Kanpur Medical College. She was later transferred to the Kannauj Medical College.
Two other suspects – Dr Mujammil Shakeel and Dr Adil Ahmad Rather – were arrested before Saeed, underlining a worrying ‘white-collar terrorist’ angle to the probe.
At least two of the cars used by the suspects have been traced back to Saeed – a Maruti Swift Dzire from which police recovered an assault rifle and ammunition, and a Maruti Brezza that may have been the preferred bomb delivery car if the police had not identified the terror cell.
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Sources said Saeed would drive the Brezza herself, while the Dzire was primarily used by Shakeel, from whose residence the police recovered nearly 3,000 kg of explosive substances.
The Dzire was seized Monday; an assault rifle and ammunition was found in the car.
The investigation so far suggests the terrorists had a frightening plan for a series of bomb blasts across the national capital region and other parts of the country. As many as 32 cars were part of that plan, sources said, although it is unclear if all 32 were meant to deliver bombs.
READ | 32 Cars In Red Fort Terrorists’ Chilling Plot For Babri Revenge: Sources
The Brezza, it appears, was the cell’s ‘getaway vehicle’.
A fourth car identified so far is the red Ford EcoSport that was found abandoned Wednesday.
READ | Red EcoSport, Bought By Delhi Blast Accused, Found After Big Hunt
Forensic tests confirmed the presence of trace amounts of explosive materials, suggesting the car was used to transport chemicals, including ammonium nitrate fuel oil, used in the i20 bomb.
With input from agencies
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