Jammu teenager’s arrest exposes cross-border radicalisation network

After it emerged that a 19-year-old youth from Bathindi had been radicalised through a communication application by Pakistan-based handlers, Jammu Police are now pursuing fresh leads to determine whether more vulnerable individuals may have been drawn into the network.

The youth (name withheld) was arrested on November 27 from Bathindi. He originally hails from Reasi district, a region that has witnessed significant terror activity in the past. The case has been registered under Section 113(3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for abetting, attempting, or conspiring to commit a terrorist act at the Bahu Fort police station.

According to police, the preliminary investigation suggests the accused was being radicalised online and was allegedly planning to carry out a terror act. It has also surfaced that he had been in contact through mobile phone with numbers based in Pakistan and other foreign countries.

Sources revealed that the youth was in touch with Pakistani handlers via the encrypted communication application Session—the same platform reportedly used by the suspects in the recent Delhi bomb blast plot. Police have not ruled out the possibility that the accused may have been connected to the same module, as investigations remain underway.

Terror organisations have increasingly turned to multi-layered encrypted messaging services to evade monitoring by intelligence agencies. Such end-to-end encrypted platforms offer secure channels of communication for operatives based overseas.

Reports indicate the 19-year-old accused was preparing for the NEET examination and had moved to Jammu from Reasi along with his family two to three years ago. Jammu Police are coordinating with their counterparts in Reasi to gather more information about his background. Investigators are also trying to determine how long he had been in contact with Pakistan-based handlers.

“He was brainwashed over the communication app and was being prepared for a terror attack in Jammu or elsewhere. The timely detection of the accused has apparently exposed a module that was active in Jammu. More arrests are possible in the coming days as the questioning continues,” police sources said.

During a recent security review meeting, Lt Governor Manoj Sinha directed agencies to intensify intelligence-led operations against terrorists and to enhance monitoring of digital platforms being misused for radicalisation and funding.

“Our 360-degree approach to counter-terrorism—with massive crackdowns on terror financing, narco-terror links, Over Ground Workers (OGWs), and sympathisers—is focused on dismantling the entire support structure of terrorism. Our coordinated efforts will ensure that the remnants of the terror ecosystem are completely wiped out from Jammu & Kashmir,” the L-G stated.