Afeera Bibi, a woman commander of the terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), has come under the scrutiny of security agencies for her alleged role in the recently dismantled JeM module linked to the Delhi Red Fort blast. She is the widow of JeM operative Muhammad Umar, who was killed in a security operation following the 2019 Pulwama attack. Her last known location was reportedly in Pakistan-occupied J&K (PoJK).
Reports suggest that Afeera was in contact with Lucknow-based Dr Shaheen Shahid, who has already been arrested in connection with the module, as part of efforts to establish a women’s wing of the terror outfit in India. Sources also indicate that she maintained direct communication with Sadia, the sister of JeM chief Masood Azhar. Masood Azhar is wanted in India for orchestrating several deadly terror attacks, including the 2001 Parliament attack, the 2016 Pathankot airbase assault, and the 2019 Pulwama suicide bombing.
Meanwhile, Dr Shaheen, a suspect in the Delhi Red Fort attack that left 13 dead and many others injured, previously served as Head of the Department of Pharmacology at Kanpur Medical College from September 1, 2012, to December 31, 2013.
She submitted her medical form when she joined the college in 2012 and continued working as a lecturer until her transfer to Kannauj Medical College in 2013. Investigations have also connected Dr Shaheen to the possession of multiple arms and explosives.
As the investigation into the JeM-linked Delhi blast progresses, security agencies are searching for two individuals, a man and a woman, who had parked one of the four vehicles, a Ford EcoSport, used by the suspects to travel between cities and transport explosives.
The man, identified as Faheem, associated with the Ford EcoSport, has been tracked down. He had parked the vehicle along with the woman. Meanwhile, probing teams have also launched a large-scale search to locate the fourth vehicle, a Maruti Suzuki Brezza, used by the terror suspects.
Faheem is the brother-in-law of Umar Un Nabi, the prime suspect in the JeM terror module. Umar was confirmed as the bomber in the Delhi Red Fort attack after DNA samples matched with his mother, who lives in J&K.
In a new development, the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has detained a medical student from Kanpur in connection with the recent Delhi Red Fort blast, officials said on November 13.
Dr Mohammad Arif, 32, a first-year MD (Cardiology) student at the state-run GSVM Medical College, was taken into custody from an undisclosed location, a senior official told sources.
The ATS team also searched his rented residence in Ashok Nagar, Nazirabad, seizing his mobile phone and laptop for forensic examination before taking him to Delhi for questioning. “He is likely to be confronted with those already arrested in the case,” the official added.
Earlier on November 10, a powerful explosion ripped through a car near Delhi’s Red Fort, killing 13 people and injuring several others. The blast occurred hours after the bust of a so-called “white-collar terror module” and the arrest of eight individuals, including three doctors linked to Al-Falah University.
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