Major Cash Haul in University Hostel Room
In a significant development in the ongoing terror funding investigation, a team from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) made a startling discovery on Thursday night. The officials recovered Rs 18 lakh in cash from the hostel room of Dr Shaheen Shahid at Al-Falah University in Faridabad.
The substantial amount of money was found concealed inside an almirah in room number 32 of the university hostel. This recovery has intensified suspicions that the funds were potentially earmarked for financing the operations of the so-called 'white-coat terror module' believed to be operating from within the educational institution.
The Investigation Unfolds
Dr Shaheen Shahid, who was previously arrested for her alleged involvement in the November 10 Delhi blast, was brought to the university campus as part of the investigation. This followed her spot identification at a shop in the NIT area, where chemicals allegedly used for manufacturing explosives were purchased.
The NIA team first escorted her to the administrative block, where she identified a locker she had used. Subsequently, the investigators took her to her hostel room for a thorough search operation, which led to the dramatic recovery of the cash. The NIA officers counted the money in the room itself before formally seizing it as case evidence.
Official sources revealed that the agency is now actively working to trace the origin of these funds and determine whether they were channeled through the module's established network. Additional searches have been initiated to identify any individuals who might have facilitated this financial transfer.
Expanding Investigation and Network Mapping
Following the cash seizure, the NIA conducted an extensive mapping of Shaheen's movements across the university campus. She was taken to various locations including the medical ward, classroom, and doctor's cabin to help reconstruct her daily routine and identify potential associates.
The investigating agency is currently compiling a comprehensive list of students, staff members, and other contacts she may have interacted with while allegedly building the terror network. According to reliable sources, Shaheen remained actively involved in the module's activities while simultaneously pursuing her academic studies at Al-Falah University, working to expand her network both within and outside the institution.
This operation involving Shaheen occurred just one day after another significant development in the case. Dr Muzammil Ahmad Ganaie, another Al-Falah doctor arrested for his alleged role in the terror module, was brought to Faridabad where he identified two shops from which he purchased ammonium nitrate that he had stored in his rooms.
The investigation has further revealed two additional hideouts linked to Muzammil, raising concerns that more explosives might be concealed. In two separate rooms located within a few kilometers of the university, Muzammil had stored 2,900 kg of ammonium nitrate, a material commonly used in explosives. Investigators also discovered that he had hidden much of this material in village fields before eventually moving it to a cleric's house that he had rented in Fatehpur Taga.
The uncovering of such a substantial amount of cash within an educational institution's premises has raised serious questions about the security protocols in place and the potential misuse of academic environments for unlawful activities.
