She was once described by her peers as &ldquo;quiet, focused, and dedicated.&rdquo; But today, Dr. Shaheen Shahid, a 43-year-old former Kanpur-based medical professional, finds herself at the center of a terror investigation that has shaken security agencies across northern India.
Shaheen, daughter of retired health department officer Shahid Ansari, grew up in Lucknow&rsquo;s Hata Mustafa Khan locality, dreaming of a career in medicine. After earning her MBBS from Prayagraj, she joined GSVM Medical College, Kanpur in 2006 as a lecturer. Her colleagues recall her as &ldquo;diligent and soft-spoken&rdquo;until her life began to take a darker turn.
<h3 data-start="1049" data-end="1104">From promising doctor to mysterious disappearance</h3>
Transferred to Kannauj in 2009 after disagreements with a senior officer, Shaheen&rsquo;s career started to unravel. Within months, she returned to Kanpur but began skipping work frequently. Officials said she stopped showing up entirely by 2013 and was formally dismissed in 2021 for prolonged absence.
<h3 data-start="1406" data-end="1436">A troubled personal life</h3>
Shaheen&rsquo;s personal struggles paralleled her professional decline. She married Zafar Hayat, a fellow doctor from Maharashtra, but the relationship ended in divorce in 2015. Following the separation, she reportedly cut off contact with her family, living a secluded life.
By 2019, Shaheen had moved to Faridabad, sharing a residence with Dr. Muzammil Ahmad Ganaie, another key accused in the recently busted inter-state terror module. Muzammil, investigators say, was also closely connected to Dr. Umar un-Nabi, the Pulwama-based doctor suspected of driving the Hyundai i20 that exploded near Delhi&rsquo;s Red Fort earlier this week.
&ldquo;Shaheen and Muzammil had been living together for months,&rdquo; said an officer with the Uttar Pradesh ATS. &ldquo;Her brother Parvez has also been arrested for his involvement in the same module.&rdquo;
<h3 data-start="2277" data-end="2322">A link to Jaish-e-Mohammad&rsquo;s women wing</h3>
The ongoing investigation has revealed that Shaheen Shahid was allegedly tasked with helping establish Jaish-e-Mohammad&rsquo;s women recruitment network in India. Officials claim she had been communicating with a handler in Pakistan, receiving instructions to identify and recruit women for the terror outfit&rsquo;s India operations.
Shaheen&rsquo;s name surfaced after a major raid in Faridabad, where authorities seized assault rifles, pistols, live cartridges, and electronic evidence registered under her name. These findings have strengthened suspicions of her deep involvement in the terror network, which may also be linked to the Red Fort car blast that killed 10 people in Delhi.
While she had once symbolized ambition and intellect, Dr. Shaheen&rsquo;s descent from a promising physician to a key suspect in a transnational terror plot underscores a chilling reality, that radicalization can infiltrate even the most educated and unsuspecting circles.

From Doctor to Terror Accused: The Shaheen Shahid Turn

Once a diligent doctor,Shaheen Shahid now stands accused in major Faridabad terror module

From Doctor to Terror Accused: The Shaheen Shahid

Once a diligent doctor,Shaheen Shahid now stands accused in major Faridabad terror module

November 12, 2025 | 23:16 IST