Lucknow home of doctor held in Delhi blast case probed

Security checks were stepped up across Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday, a day after the Delhi car blast near the Red Fort that left at least 12 people dead and more than 20 injured, as anti-terror agencies and police teams carried out searches in several cities, including Lucknow.

In the state capital, a joint team of the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS), Lucknow Police and other Central agencies conducted 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 Shahid's 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.

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.

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, two were identified as Ashok Kumar (45), a native of Amroha, and Nauman Ansari (18) of Shamli district, and two others from Uttar Pradesh, according to police.