Mobile phones used from Pakistan, PoJK to lure youth
*Recruitment, radicalization, fundraising bids fail
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Feb 21: The Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), which suffered heavy losses in attacks carried out by the Indian Armed Forces during Operation Sindoor, tried to set up homegrown modules in States other than Jammu and Kashmir to keep itself active. Few left out cadre of the outfit in Jammu and Kashmir was also involved in recruitment and radicalization of youth outside the UT but haven’t succeeded much.
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Intelligence inputs revealed that the Lashkar-e-Toiba tried to set up modules in Haryana, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan as these are the States where there is no major presence of terrorists and the low-lying cadre doesn’t come under scanner generally. However, the agencies this time have detected the plot well in time and initiated a drive to keep vigil on all sleeper cells.
“Few surviving cadre of the LeT in Jammu and Kashmir was tasked by the outfit commanders sitting in Pakistan and PoJK to set up homegrown modules in the four States so that they can be used whenever required for carrying out the terror attacks,” sources told the Excelsior.
However, they said, the plot was detected well in time and Lashkar bid to recruit the youth by radicalization has been foiled. “Some of the youth approached by the LeT handlers from across the border have themselves informed police and Intelligence agencies,” they added.
This helped the Intelligence sleuths to scan mobile numbers which had been used from Pakistan and PoJK for radicalization of youth followed by recruitment in Haryana, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, the sources said.
Asserting that LeT and Jaish-e-Mohammad were the hardest hit in Operation Sindoor as both outfits lost a considerable amount of men and infrastructure, sources said initially they wanted to revive themselves in Jammu and Kashmir but failed. A subsequent plot was then hatched to target poor unemployed youth in four States through radicalization and recruitment but it too has been successfully thwarted by security and Intelligence agencies.
The LeT cadre, as disclosed by the youth to security and Intelligence agencies, also wanted to use them for fundraising to sustain activities of the outfit and purchase ammonium nitrate for use in fabricating explosives as was done by white-collar terror module busted by Jammu and Kashmir Police which had roots in several States and a number of doctors and others were arrested.
Intelligence agencies are also keeping a close watch on various charities.
Asserting that the LeT and JeM were desperate to get the homegrown modules up and running in India, the sources said the outfits also had the back of Pakistan army which was evident from use of some mobile numbers from Pakistan and PoJK whose origin was traced to the army officials there.
It may be mentioned here that the LeT and JeM plans of infiltrations from the launch pads in PoJK to Jammu and Kashmir have been successfully thwarted by the troops post Operation Sindoor resulting into killing of many terrorists on the Line of Control (LoC).
Post Operation Sindoor, an estimated 100 to 150 attempts have been made at infiltration and all of them have been foiled.
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