In a significant development in the Red Fort blast investigation, two doctors from Lucknow have been taken into custody by the Jammu and Kashmir Police. The siblings, identified as Dr Shaheen Shahid Ansari and her brother Dr Parvez Ansari, are being questioned for their alleged connection to an interstate and transnational terror module.
The Lucknow Connection Deepens
On Tuesday, a joint team comprising the Uttar Pradesh Police, the state's Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS), and the J&K Police conducted coordinated searches in Lucknow. The operations targeted Dr Parvez's rented accommodation in the Mutakkipur locality and the family's home in the old city's Kandhari Bazar area.
Officials confirmed that the investigative team seized several crucial items during the search, including laptops, mobile phones, SIM cards, documents, and train and flight tickets. The team also interrogated the siblings' father, gathering details about their visitation patterns and recent conversations, along with contact information for relatives spread across Lucknow, other Uttar Pradesh districts, and different states.
The Faridabad Medical College Nexus
The investigation has uncovered a professional nexus at the heart of the case. Dr Shaheen Ansari was employed at Faridabad's Al-Falah School of Medical Sciences & Research Centre. This is the same institution where at least two other accused in the case were working.
One of them is Dr Muzammil Ahmad Ganai, who was arrested earlier. The other is Dr Umar Nabi, the primary suspect in the Red Fort blast case. Officials revealed that Dr Ganai is suspected to have used Dr Shaheen's vehicle. Following his arrest, a weapon was reportedly recovered from inside her car during subsequent raids.
Educational and Professional Backgrounds
Delving into their backgrounds, a senior officer disclosed that Dr Shaheen completed her MBBS from Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Medical University in Kanpur. It was at Al Falah where she allegedly came into contact with the arrested Dr Ganai. Sources also indicated that she was previously married to a man from Saharanpur, but the couple separated five years ago.
Her brother, Dr Parvez Ansari, did his MBBS from Lucknow's Era Medical College and pursued a post-graduation in Internal Medicine from a college in Agra. He had been working as a senior resident at Lucknow's Integral University since 2021 but submitted his resignation on November 6, just before the recent developments.
Expanding Investigation and State-Wide Alert
The case continues to widen, with inputs from central agencies and the J&K Police suggesting that more individuals connected to the module could be present in Uttar Pradesh. In response to these developments, UP Director General of Police Rajeev Krishna stated that state authorities are in close coordination with central agencies and other states.
The UP Police and the ATS have been placed on high alert, with increased surveillance on major installations and sensitive locations across the state. The investigation remains active as authorities work to unravel the full extent of the alleged terror network.
