Unconnected operatives: Modular terror mechanism new challenge for NIA in J&K

Mukesh Ranjan

New Delhi, December 11

A new model of terrorism, which is “modular” in its operation, has emerged as a big challenge for the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir, as operatives carrying out attacks are not known to each other and tasks are assigned among “several unconnected ultras” over social media platforms such as Telegram, officials said.

Part-time ultras

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• Terror modules recruit part-time terrorists to execute a number of tasks such as conducting a recce and supplying arms.
• One person does one job and passes on the information and weapons to another without knowing the other person.

They said the modular mechanism of terror outfits was posing difficulties to investigative agencies such as the NIA in cracking terror cases and prosecuting the perpetrators of the crime.

“Recent trends in the Kashmir Valley suggest that terror groups are resorting to operations through modules comprising unconnected executors, who are difficult to trace,” a senior security officer said.

“Such modules recruit part-time terrorists to execute a number of tasks such as conducting a recce, supplying arms, identifying the target and executing the crime. One person does one job and passes on the information and weapons to another without knowing the other person. This makes it difficult for security and investigative agencies to avert a terror incident and crack a case,” he said.

The officer added that emergence of women overground workers (OGWs) was a discernible feature of the latest terror tactic.

The other challenges include the use of drones or unmanned aerial vehicles for supplying weapons, explosives, drugs and fake currency, issuing threats and hartal calls by terror groups via Telegram, and circulating fake news through Pakistani online portal ‘Kashmir Fight’.

So far this year, terrorists have killed 29 civilians in the Valley, including three Kashmiri Pandits, as many non-Kashmiri Hindus and 15 Muslims.