Northlines Newsdesk
J&K Police Bust Sophisticated Digital Terror Module Linked to Pakistan
In a significant development against cross-border terrorism, the Jammu and Kashmir Police, in coordination with Indian intelligence agencies, have dismantled a high-tech digital terror module operated from Pakistan.
The operation, spearheaded by Counter Intelligence Kashmir (CIK), revealed a growing trend of cyber-radicalisation and psychological manipulation aimed at drawing Kashmiri youth into terror networks. At the center of the network was senior Jaish-e-Mohammad handler Abdullah Ghazi, also known as Shaukat Ali, who ran a fully operational digital recruitment cell from a secure, three-storey facility in Pakistan.
Ghazi’s network used encrypted platforms to identify, radicalise, and assign tasks to potential recruits. Indian agencies managed to trace him using advanced surveillance techniques such as deep packet inspection and geo-tracking, successfully bypassing multiple layers of encryption and digital obfuscation.
This marks the fifth major digital module taken down by the CIK, following previous operations against handlers known by aliases such as Ghazi Hamas, Sumama, Ghazi Baba, Ilyas, and Babar.
Shift to ‘Cyber Jihad’
Facing a decline in local recruitment, Pakistan-based terror outfits are increasingly relying on digital means—dubbed “Cyber Jihad”—to spread extremist ideologies. These operations combine religious distortion, emotional coercion, and misinformation to influence and recruit youth online.
Terror recruiters use fake identities, proxy contact numbers (including Indian ones), and secure messaging apps to initiate contact on open platforms before moving conversations to encrypted channels. These discussions often lead to operational roles including surveillance, arms movement, and targeting.
Role of Overground Workers (OGWs)
On the ground, local Overground Workers (OGWs) coordinate with digital handlers to identify vulnerable individuals. They feed them anti-India propaganda and exploit religious sentiments, offering promises of paradise, financial incentives, and a false sense of purpose to lure them into the fold, according to top CIK officials.
This operation highlights the evolving nature of terrorism and underscores the critical role of digital surveillance in countering new-age threats.
