The Rise of “Madam Surgeon” and the Chilling D-6 Mission: Inside India’s Most Disturbing Terror Plot

The November 10 blast near Delhi’s Red Fort was initially seen as an isolated incident. But within days, investigators uncovered a far darker and more sophisticated design — a terror plan spanning multiple Indian cities, funded through secret hawala channels and guided by handlers from across the border. At the centre of this labyrinth stood a woman once known for her medical skill and soft-spoken nature: Dr Shaheen Shahid, now infamously called “Madam Surgeon.”

What emerged from interrogation rooms, seized diaries, and decrypted chats was a story of long-term radicalisation, careful planning, and a coordinated attempt to ignite violence on December 6, a date chosen with ideological intent to avenge the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition.

Image from Moneycontrol

The Double Life of a Doctor

Years before her arrest, Dr Shaheen had lived an ordinary life as a campus doctor at GSVM Medical College in Kanpur. Colleagues remember a polite, introverted woman who carried her child everywhere due to marital distress. Yet they also recall a sudden transformation around 2010. Shaheen altered her appearance, withdrew from friends, and spoke of a life abroad.

Her resignation in 2013 was abrupt. She handed over her duties saying she would return after a break — but simply disappeared. Later, when the college tried to verify her address, officials found the information to be false. By 2021, she was officially terminated, long after she had allegedly drifted deep into extremist networks.

The Making of “Madam Surgeon”

Investigators now believe her radicalisation began more than a decade ago, influenced by extremist literature and online recruiters. Over time, her associations strengthened, especially after coming into contact with Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) operatives.

Shaheen eventually rose to a position of strategic importance. Within secret circles, she was called “Madam Surgeon”, a codename signalling both her professional background and the precision expected of her role. Intelligence agencies have found indications that she was tasked with expanding a women’s wing for JeM in India, a structure known as Jamaat-ul-Momineen, created to groom and recruit female operatives.

The D-6 Mission: A Blueprint of Destruction

Among the most disturbing pieces of evidence recovered from Shaheen’s home were her handwritten plans titled the “D-6 Mission.” These documents describe an elaborate operation with clear dates, targets, recruitment pathways, and financial mechanisms.

The name “D-6” is believed to refer to December 6, a date of high symbolic value for radical organisations seeking to exploit communal tensions. The plan reportedly aimed at coordinated attacks across six Indian cities, each requiring surveillance, funding, and operatives. Investigators also uncovered references to safe houses, encrypted communication methods, and coded terminology where everyday words like “medicine” were used to describe explosives.

Foreign Ties and the Türkiye Meeting

A crucial element of the case lies in the module’s foreign connections. In 2022, Shaheen and her associates allegedly travelled to Türkiye, where they met a Pakistan-linked handler identified as Abu Ukasha. It was during this meeting, according to intelligence inputs, that the group received a definitive go-ahead for the December 6 attacks.

This interaction established that the conspiracy was transnational, involving overseas strategy, cross-border training, and funding routed through hawala operators amounting to at least ₹20 lakh.

A Network of Educated Operatives

Shaheen was not working alone. Two Kashmiri doctors — Dr Muzammil Ahmad Ganaie and Dr Umar Un Nabi — were closely linked to her. All three were allegedly recruited for their professional expertise, their ability to move without suspicion, and their access to institutions where surveillance is low.

Their roles varied, but together they formed what agencies now call one of the most “highly educated” terror cells ever uncovered within the country. The group operated from Faridabad, Delhi, Kanpur, and Srinagar, weaving together logistics, recruitment, propaganda, and reconnaissance.

Decoded Chats and the Language of Terror

Shaheen’s digital trails have revealed a complex system of coded communication. On WhatsApp, she frequently conversed with two contacts saved as “Madam X” and “Madam Z.” In these chats, certain expressions recurred — the word “medicine,” for example, appears multiple times and is now believed to have referred to explosives or bomb-making materials.

There were also references to “Operation Hamdard,” a phrase investigators interpret as a women-oriented recruitment drive. Messages indicated urgency, secrecy, and the expectation of a major operation in the near future.

Why the Case Alarms Investigators

The involvement of highly educated individuals, especially those trained in healthcare, has raised important questions about modern extremism. The D-6 Mission’s scale, combined with transnational funding and recruitment, represents a new model of terror planning where professionals are positioned as strategic assets rather than field operatives.

Moreover, the symbolic timing of the planned attacks suggests a deliberate attempt to exploit the nation’s emotional fault lines and trigger widespread panic. For investigators, this case signifies the emergence of a more complex and ideologically-driven terror ecosystem.

The MGMM Outlook

The story of “Madam Surgeon” reveals not just an individual’s fall into extremism but the unsettling evolution of terror networks that quietly embed themselves within ordinary Indian life. From her early days as a quiet medical professional to her disappearance and eventual rise within a Pakistan-backed ecosystem, Dr Shaheen Shahid’s trajectory shows how radicalisation today is gradual, digital, and disturbingly sophisticated. The D-6 Mission — a meticulously planned, ideologically loaded blueprint — demonstrates how extremist handlers exploit symbolic dates, educated recruits, and cross-border financing to destabilise India from within. The Türkiye meeting, the hawala funding, the expansion of a women’s recruitment wing, and the use of coded language all reflect not just operational planning but a long-term psychological and ideological assault on the country’s internal fabric.

What makes this case even more alarming is the deliberate insertion of highly educated professionals — doctors trained to heal — into a destructive plot aimed at triggering panic across multiple cities. Their mobility, credibility, and access provided a dangerous cover, proving that modern terror does not live on the margins but thrives by blending into everyday spaces. From our viewpoint, this entire episode is a stark reminder that India’s security challenges have entered a new phase, where vigilance cannot remain limited to borders or traditional suspects. The unmasking of the D-6 network reinforces a deeper truth: that extremism today operates through soft-spoken individuals, encrypted phones, ideological wounds, and quietly cultivated networks — and unless these layers are recognised early, the threat will always emerge from the very heart of our society.

(Sources: Moneycontrol, NDTV, Times of India)