Nineteen women across Kanpur and nearby districts have disappeared after alleged contact with arrested radicalization suspect Dr. Shaheen Shahid. Investigators say the women abruptly switched off their phones, raising concerns of deeper involvement in an extremist network of JeM.
BY PC Bureau
November 19, 2025 — A multi-agency probe has uncovered what investigators describe as a sophisticated online radicalization network allegedly run by Dr. Shaheen Shahid, a 47-year-old former medical academic and suspected operative of Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM).
Arrested earlier this month in Lucknow, Dr. Shaheen has emerged as the central figure in a widening investigation that now includes a manhunt for 19 women from Kanpur and neighbouring districts who are believed to have been indoctrinated through her “manipulative and provocative” digital outreach.
The women—described as vulnerable, isolated and facing economic or emotional distress—have disappeared, switching off their phones and severing contact, raising fears of deeper radical ties and complicating the state’s efforts to trace them.
A Digital Footprint Unravels a Hidden Network
The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS), supported by central intelligence agencies and district police teams, is analysing what officials call a “structured outreach network” after seizing Dr. Shaheen’s digital devices during her November 5 arrest. According to media reports, forensic examination recovered voice notes laden with inflammatory rhetoric, JeM propaganda videos, WhatsApp threads tracking recruits’ “progress,” and extensive contact lists with more than 50 individuals.
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Investigators say the 19 missing women—aged 22 to 35 and from Kanpur, Unnao, Farrukhabad and Etawah—were targeted through carefully curated online spaces, including women’s self-help groups on Facebook, Instagram reels on “Islamic empowerment,” and Telegram channels offering mental health support. Dr. Shaheen reportedly posed as a mentor providing emotional comfort before gradually steering conversations toward radical ideology.
With many women now untraceable, agencies are deploying multi-layered tracking methods: analysing cell tower dumps, voter rolls, Aadhaar-linked addresses, ATM and UPI trails, VPN usage, and IP logs from public Wi-Fi networks. Twelve women have gone completely offline, while others appear to be using burner SIMs.
Preliminary leads point to Pakistan-administered Kashmir, where JeM handlers are believed to have coordinated communication and channelled funds through hawala networks.
⚡ Delhi Blast Probe:
ATS teams are searching for 19 women linked to Jaish-e-Mohammed operative Dr. Shaheen Shahid as the probe into the Delhi blast expands. Investigators believe these women, now missing, were in contact with Shaheen and may have been radicalised through voice… pic.twitter.com/iSaoxJgEO0
— OSINT Updates (@OsintUpdates) November 19, 2025
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The ‘Safe Psychological Trap’: How a Doctor Became a Radicalizer
Investigators say Dr. Shaheen’s methods reveal a deliberate use of gender dynamics to build trust. Her identity as a woman and a doctor helped her create what officials call a “safe psychological entry point” for vulnerable female recruits.
“Male preachers can raise suspicion, but a hijab-clad doctor speaking about sisterhood and resilience disarms people,” an ATS official said.
Her strategy reportedly unfolded in phases:
- Phase 1: Emotional bonding — offering solace, sharing personal stories of “oppression,” and providing religiously framed counselling.
- Phase 2: Ideological shift — gradually introducing sermons on “divine justice” and grievance narratives.
- Phase 3: Radical reinforcement — circulating JeM-branded videos, martyrdom montages, and voice notes urging recruits to “awaken the warrior within.”
Some content referenced the 2019 Pulwama attack as a “necessary spark.” Evidence suggests at least seven of the missing women had begun propagating extremist material in their own networks, possibly creating a multiplier effect.
One particularly alarming discovery was a draft manifesto written by an alleged recruit calling for “sacrificial action” against “Hindu majoritarianism.”
A Controversial Academic Past
Dr. Shaheen’s trajectory from medical academic to accused radicalizer has stunned investigators. Born in Lucknow, she excelled academically, entered Motilal Nehru Medical College in 1996, completed her MBBS in 2001, and earned an MD in Pharmacology by 2004.
She joined GSVM Medical College, Kanpur, as an Assistant Professor in 2006–07 through the UPPSC. Although initially considered diligent, colleagues recall increasing friction by 2009—frequent unexplained leaves, foreign trips to the UAE and Saudi Arabia, and escalating disputes over wearing the hijab in violation of the institution’s prescribed dress code.
“She was rigid about attire, and the arguments disrupted the classroom,” a senior GSVM professor told The Times of India. Allegations of proselytizing soon followed.
After multiple warnings and inquiries—including one into a 2020 campus da’wah event—she was terminated in March 2021. She briefly served as a guest lecturer at Al-Falah University in Faridabad before shifting to freelance “wellness consulting,” which investigators now believe was a front for radical outreach.
Implications for JeM’s Footprint in Urban India
As the search for the missing women continues, officials say the case could expose a deeper JeM recruitment architecture in north India, including links to Kashmir operations and low-tech attack plots.
One line of inquiry is examining whether her pharmacology background and access to pharmaceutical knowledge could have been exploited for chemical or toxin-based plots, echoing a recent incident in Ahmedabad jail involving ricin poisoning attempts.
“These women are not isolated cases—they’re links in a broader JeM strategy,” a senior official said. “Finding them is vital to understanding the scale of the threat.”
For now, Kanpur remains on edge, its streets patrolled by surveillance vehicles and undercover teams. As Dr. Shaheen awaits further charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, investigators say her case is a stark reminder of modern extremism’s evolution: radicalization no longer begins in remote camps but within smartphones, support groups, and the quiet corners of personal insecurity.
