Latest news with #AbdullahGhazi
India.com
4 days ago
- India.com
JeM Terror Recruitment Module Busted In Jammu And Kashmir; 10 Detained
A terror recruitment and financing module operated by Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) commander Abdullah Ghazi, alias Shaukat Ali, from Rawalpindi, Pakistan, has been busted. Ten individuals have been detained for questioning. The Counter-Intelligence Kashmir (CIK) traced suspicious technical signatures through a specific encrypted messaging application widely used by terrorists and their handlers for coordinating, financing, and executing terror activities during today's raids. The investigation revealed that Ghazi was in continuous contact with local Kashmiri youth, attempting to radicalise them for recruitment into JeM and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). Raids were conducted at 10 locations with a focus on disrupting a terrorist sleeper cell and recruitment module. Sleeper cells consist of individuals who blend into society, often without the knowledge of family or friends and engage in covert activities such as target killings, grenade attacks, or distributing terrorist propaganda. During the raids, several documents and digital devices, including mobile phones, were seized, providing critical evidence to unravel the terror network. Ten suspects were detained for allegedly using encrypted apps to coordinate with handlers across the border. The operation highlighted a shift in terror strategy toward 'Cyber Jihad,' where Pakistan-based operatives use encrypted apps, proxy numbers (including Indian ones), and virtual identities to radicalize youth. The process involves identifying vulnerable individuals on public platforms, then shifting to encrypted apps for mission assignments such as surveillance, arms transport, target selection and luring them with promises of financial rewards and religious justification. This is the fifth major digital terror module dismantled by CIK, following similar operations against Pakistan-based terrorist handlers. With declining local recruitment, Pakistan-based terror groups like JeM and LeT have increasingly relied on digital platforms for radicalising and recruiting Kashmiri youth into terror organisations.
Indian Express
4 days ago
- Indian Express
Police raid 10 locations in Kashmir as part of probe on Jaish ‘recruitment module'
The Counter Intelligence Kashmir (CIK) unit of the J&K Police has conducted raids at 10 locations in four districts — Pulwama, Ganderbal, Srinagar and Budgam — early Saturday morning as part of an investigation into a terrorism-related case. The CIK is looking into an alleged 'terrorist recruitment/financing module' of the Jaish-e-Mohammad outfit, handled by a terrorist commander code-named Abdullah Ghazi. Ghazi operates from Rawalpindi in Pakistan, police said. The commander, as per the CIK, was in 'continuous touch' with local Kashmiri youth and reportedly attempted to 'radicalise' them for recruitment into terrorist ranks. Police have also claimed that Ghazi is operating in close coordination with Pakistan's ISI. 'During searches, a large number of documentary evidence and digital devices were seized. So far, 10 suspects have been rounded up,' a CIK statement said.
News18
4 days ago
- Politics
- News18
Kashmir Cops Bust Pakistan-Backed Cyber Jihad Cell, Nab Top Jaish Handler In Digital Raid
Last Updated: The crackdown exposed a growing pattern of cyber-radicalisation and psychological warfare aimed at recruiting vulnerable Kashmiri youth into terror networks In a major breakthrough in the fight against cross-border terrorism, Jammu and Kashmir Police, in collaboration with Indian intelligence, have neutralised a sophisticated digital terror module run by Pakistan-based operatives. The crackdown, led by Counter Intelligence Kashmir (CIK), exposed a growing pattern of cyber-radicalisation and psychological warfare aimed at recruiting vulnerable Kashmiri youth into terror networks, CNN-News18 has learnt. The latest bust uncovered the operations of top Jaish-e-Mohammad handler Abdullah Ghazi, alias Shaukat Ali, who was running a fully functional digital recruitment cell from a three-storey safehouse in Pakistan. Ghazi had reportedly built an entire recruitment and radicalisation ecosystem online—right from identifying susceptible youth to indoctrinating, arming, and assigning them operational tasks. Indian agencies tracked him down using geo-coordinates from encrypted app servers, successfully bypassing several layers of digital camouflage. The breakthrough came as a result of deep packet inspection, protocol bypass, and advanced geo-tracking, enabled by Kashmir Police's next-gen digital surveillance grid. This marks the fifth major digital module dismantled by CIK, following operations against other handlers code-named Ghazi Hamas, Sumama, Ghazi Baba, Ilyas, and Babar. With dwindling local recruitment, Pakistan-based terror outfits have turned increasingly to 'Cyber Jihad"—a strategy blending religious distortion, emotional manipulation, and misinformation to radicalise youth online. Terror commanders are using virtual identities, proxy numbers (including Indian ones), and encrypted messaging apps to mask their activities. Operatives begin contact over public platforms before shifting conversations to encrypted apps for mission assignments, including surveillance, arms transport, and target selection. OGWs and the Ground Game On-ground Overground Workers (OGWs), in coordination with online recruiters, identify and nurture vulnerable youth by feeding them anti-India propaganda and distorted religious justifications for jihad. Recruiters often lure them with promises of Jannat (paradise), financial rewards, and a sense of purpose, slowly indoctrinating them into operational roles, top CIK sources told CNN-News18. However, this strategy has hit a major roadblock with the latest crackdown. Intelligence sources say the early neutralisation of Ghazi's cell has prevented dozens of young lives from slipping into the abyss of terrorism. A Win for Counter-Intelligence Officials emphasise that these pre-emptive operations are not just counter-terror victories, but also humanitarian ones. Each disrupted cell represents a set of futures rescued—from prison, from violence, from death. As digital warfare becomes the new frontier in terrorism, J&K Police's tech-led countermeasures are emerging as a potent shield against the manipulation of Kashmir's youth—turning the tide in favour of peace and stability in the region. view comments First Published: July 19, 2025, 15:56 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
India Today
4 days ago
- Politics
- India Today
Anti-terror crackdown in J&K, search ops in 10 locations to bust sleeper cells
The Jammu and Kashmir Police's counter-intelligence wing on Friday morning conducted searches at multiple locations across the Kashmir Valley. These operations are part of an ongoing terror-crime investigation aimed at dismantling sleeper cells and recruitment modules linked to per officials, the searches by Counter Intelligence Kashmir (CIK) are being carried out at 10 locations spread across four districts -- Ganderbal, Budgam, Pulwama, and Ganderbal alone, six locations have been targeted, suggesting a concentrated effort in this district. Meanwhile, two locations in Budgam and one each in Pulwama and Srinagar are also under scrutiny. These strategic choices reflect the areas where sleeper cells are suspected to be most active. The Counter Intelligence Kashmir's operations are specifically focused on identifying and neutralising terrorist sleeper cells. These cells are part of a larger network orchestrated by terrorist commander Abdullah Ghazi, reportedly operating from across the searches are a direct response to intelligence reports indicating the presence of recruitment modules used to enlist local youth into terror activities. The recruitment strategy employed by these modules is critical in sustaining terrorist operations in the agencies have intensified search operations across various parts of Jammu and Kashmir in recent weeks, particularly after the Pahalgam terrorist attack on April 22, in which 26 civilians were killed by Pakistan-based terrorists. Several individuals have been arrested in subsequent anti-terror operations.- EndsMust Watch IN THIS STORY#Jammu and Kashmir
