Delhi blast: Agencies scan doctors' homes in Lucknow, Saharanpur; probe also in Lakhimpur

Lucknow/Saharanpur, Nov 11 (PTI) Security agencies widened their probe across Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday following the Delhi car blast near the Red Fort that left at least 12 people dead, conducting searches in multiple districts including Lucknow, Saharanpur and Lakhimpur Kheri.

Heightened security checks continued at public places amid stepped-up scrutiny of individuals with suspected links to the accused held so far.

In Lucknow, a joint team of the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS), local police and central agencies carried out an extensive probe at the Muttaqipur residence of Dr. Shaheen Shahid, who was earlier arrested in connection with the Delhi blast case. Officials collected documents and questioned family members and neighbours to gather details about her background, sources said.

Her father, Syed Ahmad Ansari, told reporters that he was "shocked to hear of her alleged involvement." "I have three children. My eldest son is Mohammad Shoaib, who lives here with me. My daughter is Shaheen Shahid and my youngest son is Parvez Ansari.

"I last spoke to Shaheen about a month ago. I have never heard her mention Dr. Muzammil or anyone connected to such activities," Ansari said.

She had completed her medical studies from Allahabad (now Prayagraj), the father added.

Police sources said Shaheen is believed to have links with Dr. Muzammil, from whose possession a large quantity of explosives was earlier seized in Faridabad. Muzammil was wanted by the Jammu and Kashmir Police in a separate case related to a social media post allegedly supporting the banned organisation Jaish-e-Mohammed.

In Lakhimpur Kheri, the family of Mohammad Suhail, who was detained by the Gujarat ATS on Sunday from Banaskantha district along with two others in connection with suspected terror activities, claimed he was innocent and wrongly implicated.

Suhail, a resident of Singahi town, lived with his father Salim, mother Rukhsana, brother Wasim and a younger sister. His mother said her son had been studying 'Hafiza' at a Darul Uloom in Muzaffarnagar for the past three years and had never been involved in any wrongdoing.

"How can my son be involved in such acts? He was so simple and gentle. We never received any complaint about him from his madrassa or our town," she told reporters tearfully.

She said Suhail had last visited home during Bakrid in June and later went back to resume studies. A few days ago, he had informed his sister that he was on a vacation trip to Gujarat.

The family's modest home in Singahi has remained under watch since Sunday following his arrest. Both his father and younger brother work as mechanics, the police said, adding that no criminal record of Suhail was found in the district.

In Saharanpur, investigators traced the activities of another suspect, Dr. Adil Ahmad, who was arrested on November 7 by the Jammu and Kashmir Police with the assistance of the local police and Special Operations Group (SOG).

According to officials, Adil, a resident of Anantnag in Jammu and Kashmir, had rented a house in Bapu Vihar Colony on Ambala Road in Saharanpur, where he was working at Famous Hospital for the past six months.

Locals described him as a reserved man who rarely interacted with neighbours and often received late-night visitors, with several vehicles parked outside his residence.

Adil had earlier served at another private hospital in the city. Hospital manager Dr. Manoj Mishra said, "He never showed any sign of being involved in suspicious activities. He was polite and focused on his patients. If anything had seemed wrong, we would have informed the police." The Jammu and Kashmir Police had registered a case in Srinagar on October 28 after posters supporting Jaish-e-Mohammed surfaced in several areas. CCTV footage reportedly showed Adil putting up the posters, following which surveillance traced his location to Saharanpur.

He was arrested from Famous Hospital and handed over to the Srinagar Police on transit remand. The hospital has since terminated his employment and removed his nameplate.

Agencies from Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh ATS and other central units continue their investigations in Saharanpur to determine Adil's local contacts and possible links with other accused in the Delhi blast case.

Meanwhile, following the Delhi blast, security arrangements were intensified across Uttar Pradesh, with police conducting checking drives at crowded markets, metro stations, shopping malls, railway stations and bus terminals. Bomb disposal squads and dog units were also deployed at sensitive locations.

"Vigilance has been increased in all major districts and instructions have been issued for round-the-clock patrolling," a senior police official said, adding that the alert would continue until further orders.

Apart from Lucknow, the security alert has been extended across the state, including prominent places like Noida, Ghaziabad, Meerut, Varanasi, Prayagraj, Ayodhya, Mathura-Vrindavan, Gorakhpur, Kanpur, Saharanpur and Aligarh, the officials said.

Among the 12 people killed in the Delhi blast, Ashok Kumar (45), a native of Amroha, and Nauman Ansari (18) of Shamli, Mohsin (32) of Meerut, Dinesh Mishra (32) of Shravasti have so far been identified as those hailing from Uttar Pradesh. Shiva Jaiswal (22) from Deoria suffered injuries in the blast. PTI KIS/COR KSS KSS