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| Digital terror under scanner: Police raid 5 districts over radicalisation, recruitment | | | Mahim Gupta
Early Times Report
Jammu, Aug 8: In a major pre-dawn crackdown, the Jammu and Kashmir Police’s Counter-Intelligence Wing on Saturday conducted simultaneous raids at multiple locations across Kashmir in connection with an alleged network involved in online glorification of terrorism, radicalisation and recruitment of vulnerable youth into terrorist ranks.
The coordinated searches were carried out in Baramulla, Shopian, Anantnag, Kupwara and Bandipora following fresh intelligence inputs suggesting attempts by terror outfits to revive their networks in the Valley through digital platforms and clandestine recruitment channels.
The operations are linked to a case concerning the alleged systematic misuse of social media platforms to glorify terrorism, circulate extremist propaganda and influence young people to join banned terrorist organisations. In Shopian, the residence of Usman Gulzar, who is currently lodged in a jail in Jammu, was searched by the security agency as part of the investigation.
In Kupwara, a raid was conducted at the residence of Babar Dar over allegations concerning the misuse of SIM cards for disseminating terrorist propaganda and extremist material through social media platforms.
In Bandipora, the residence of a woman identified as Laali was also searched in connection with allegations of online radicalisation.
Officials said the searches were aimed at uncovering evidence relating to digital communication, social media activity, financial or logistical links and other possible connections with terrorist networks. Further details about recoveries, if any, were not immediately available.
Security agencies have been increasingly focusing on the use of social media, messaging applications and other digital platforms by terrorist organisations and their associates to spread propaganda and identify potential recruits.
According to sources in the security establishment, following a series of recent targeted killings, security agencies questioned more than 5,000 individuals across the Valley as part of a wider intelligence-gathering exercise.
The questioning reportedly generated crucial leads about attempts to reactivate dormant or sleeper modules and expand digital recruitment campaigns aimed at vulnerable sections of the population.
Investigators are now examining whether individuals under scrutiny were merely consumers of extremist content or had established direct or indirect links with terrorist handlers, overground workers or other members of terror networks.
A senior security official said the use of fake or illegally obtained SIM cards, encrypted communication applications and social media platforms to circulate terror narratives and recruit vulnerable youth was being dealt with on a “zero-tolerance” basis.
The official said security agencies were closely monitoring digital footprints and communication channels allegedly being used to facilitate radicalisation and establish contact between potential recruits and terrorist handlers.
The latest raids are part of the security agencies’ broader efforts to dismantle terror-support networks and prevent attempts to rebuild terrorist infrastructure in Jammu and Kashmir.
Officials said the investigation remains underway and further searches and questioning could follow if additional links emerge during the probe. |
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