Who is ‘Madam Zeher’, Bobby Kabootar’s aide who ran a salon by day and operated as a ‘lady don’ by night?

The Special Cell of the Delhi Police has arrested Khusnuma Ansari, also known as Neha and now being referred to by investigators as “Madam Zeher”, near the Mahipalpur flyover with a significant quantity of drugs. Police say she operated a beauty parlour in northeast Delhi during the day while allegedly managing a drug distribution network for the Lawrence Bishnoi–Hashim Baba gang. She is described as an associate of Mahfuz alias Bobby Kabootar, who has already been arrested.

A salon front and a drug network

Investigators said Ansari used her beauty parlour as a front to mask illegal activity and oversee drug distribution across parts of Delhi-NCR. Police claim she and Bobby Kabootar have been associated for around seven years and worked closely in the alleged syndicate.

Mahfuz’s name has surfaced in several past investigations, including the murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala and a firing incident at the residence of actor Disha Patani, according to police.

Why police call her ‘Madam Zeher’

During the arrest, officers said they recovered a large quantity of drugs from Ansari’s possession. The scale of the alleged drug network and her role in handling supply chains led investigators to label her “Madam Zeher”.

Police allege she played an operational role in running the syndicate linked to the Lawrence Bishnoi–Hashim Baba gang.

A pattern emerging in Delhi-NCR

Ansari’s arrest comes as investigators point to a wider pattern in the Delhi-NCR region, where women are increasingly being named as conspirators, facilitators or operational heads in gang-linked crimes.

In 2025, a 17-year-old boy, Kunal, was stabbed to death in Seelampur in northeast Delhi in what police believe was a revenge killing. The incident triggered protests and tension in the locality.

Police identified two teenage suspects who remain absconding and formed 10 teams to trace them. A woman named Zikra was arrested for allegedly conspiring in the case and abetting the crime.

Who is ‘lady don’ Zikra?

Investigators said Zikra earlier worked as a bouncer for jailed gangster Hashim Baba’s wife, Zoya, and is linked to the Shoaib-Mastan gang that operates locally in the area.

She was earlier arrested for flaunting firearms on Instagram, where she has around 15,000 followers. Police said her posts showed weapons and projected gang-related bravado.

According to investigators, Zikra encouraged the two teenage suspects, who are also believed to be linked to the Shoaib-Mastan gang, to carry out the attack on Kunal.

Earlier ‘lady don’ case in Noida

In 2024, Noida Police took custody of Kajal Khatri, described by investigators as a ‘lady don’, after Delhi Police arrested her in connection with the murder of an Air India employee in Sector 104 earlier that year. She was sent to Luksar jail on transit remand.

Khatri is believed to be the girlfriend of jailed gangster Kapil Mann and police allege she handled gang operations after his arrest in 2019. Investigators said Kapil had planned the murder of Suraj Mann, who was shot dead soon after leaving his gym and entering his car.

(Source: TOI)