J&K terror handlers now prefer recruits with no separatist links, criminal past: Officials

Youths with no past criminal record or separatist affiliation are now preferred for recruitment by terror handlers in Jammu and Kashmir to stay under the radar of security forces, officials in the know say.

This fresh strategy is completely different from the modus operandi adopted by them two decades ago, according to officials, which favoured those with established links to terror outfits.

The investigators probing the "white collar terror module" have found a distinct pattern and a common denominator among the accused persons who have been arrested or questioned so far.

"The accused persons like Dr Adeel Rather, his brother Dr Muzaffar Rather, and Dr Muzammil Ganaie do not have any past criminal record or involvement in anti-national activities," an official said.

The official said even the family members of these radicalised youths have no past affiliation with any separatist or terror outfit.

"Even Dr Umar Nabi, who was driving the car that blew up outside the Red Fort metro station in Delhi on November 10, did not have any past record. His family also has been clean in this aspect," the official said.

According to sources, this seems to be a deliberate ploy of the terror handlers operating in Jammu and Kashmir or from across the border in Pakistan to lure highly qualified youth and those with no past criminal record.

"It would be unthinkable for anyone to believe that a group of doctors would indulge in terror activities... So, that gave these accused persons a cover right from the start," the official said.

The module was busted after posters threatening police and security forces appeared on walls in Bunpora, Nowgam, in mid-October, prompting an investigation.

Srinagar police registered a case on October 19 and formed a dedicated team.

A meticulous, frame-by-frame analysis of CCTV footage led investigators to identify and arrest the first three suspects -- Arif Nisar Dar alias Sahil, Yasir-ul-Ashraf, and Maqsood Ahmad Dar alias Shahid. These three had cases of stone-pelting registered against them and were seen pasting the posters.

Their interrogation led to the arrest of Maulvi Irfan Ahmad, a former paramedic-turned-Imam (preacher) from Shopian who supplied the posters and is believed to have radicalised the doctors using his easy access to the medical community.

The trail ultimately led Srinagar police to Al Falah University in Faridabad, where they arrested Dr Ganaie and Dr Shaheen Sayeed. It was here that the massive cache of chemicals, including ammonium nitrate, potassium nitrate, and sulphur, was seized.

Investigators believe the entire module was run by a core trio of doctors -- Ganaie, Dr Umar Nabi (the driver of the explosives-laden car that exploded in Delhi), and Muzzaffar Rather (absconding).

The role of the eighth arrested person, Dr Adeel Rather, the brother of absconding Dr Muzzaffar Rather -- from whom an AK-56 rifle was seized -- is still under investigation.

These suspects’ profiles, however, are in contrast with the archetype of recruits from 20 years ago.

"From the early 2000s till 2020, the focus of the handlers was on youths who already had an association with terrorism. A significant number of terrorists killed in this 20-year period had given up arms at some point only to be recycled into the ranks," the official said.

A significant number of youth were radicalised during their detention in various jails, according to the official.

"However, the terror handlers seem to be wary of recycling these types of persons into their ranks due to increased surveillance on them in the post-2019 era," the official added.