Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Oct 19: Police authorities have activated their Cyber Crime Cells all over Jammu and Kashmir with specific direction to keep strict vigil on online campaign launched by Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and Hizbul Mujahideen outfits to lure youth into the militancy. The Cells would detect the campaigners, try to identify and nab them.
Official sources told the Excelsior that police authorities have asked their Cyber Crime Cells throughout the State to go all out to detect online campaign launched by the militant outfits like LeT and HM to expand their network and lure the youth into militancy and other anti-national activities like stone pelting, hosting of flags etc. They have issued specific directions to the Cells to monitor activities of‘ anti-national elements online, which have increased manifold during past few months.
“We have intercepted a number of online messages of the anti-national elements including militants of the LeT and HM in the recent past, which were aimed at facilitating recruitment of the youth into militancy and other undesirable activities like stone pelting, hoisting of flags, raising slogans etc. The practice needs to be curbed before more youth are lured by the anti-national elements,’’ sources said, adding the police authorities have assigned the task to Cyber Crime Cells all over the State to watch such activities online 24×7, try to detect the militants and their agents and apprehend them to stop the campaign.
“We have started our job and hopefully, we will be successful in curbing the menace of the militants online, which is new modus operandi being used by the two outfits—LeT and HM—to lure the youth into their cadre and ranks,’’ an officer, affiliated with the Cyber Crime Cell, said.
Admitting that the task was very tough as those engaged with online campaign for the militants keep changing their Cell phone numbers, the Cyber Crime officials hoped that they would be able to track down some of the elements using specialized techniques available with them.
“With the passage of time, we have developed new techniques to track down the anti-national elements through the mobile telephones. This time also, we will do our job,’’ they added.
According to sources, police authorities were disturbed after Intelligence and police inputs that some top militants of the LeT and HM outfits have adopted the strategy of ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) militant outfit to intensify their campaign online and attract the youngsters towards unwanted activities. There had been reports that some of the youth had been attracted towards the two outfits after online campaign, which had disturbed police and Intelligence agencies and prompted them to quickly take the remedial measures.
Pointing out that the LeT and HM strategy was based on the line of ISIS, which had attracted the youth worldwide through its online campaign, sources said the police and Intelligence agencies were determined to thwart the plot by detecting and apprehending the persons engaged in such activities.
Sources said police authorities have directed the Cyber Crime Cells to devote extra time towards checking the online campaign of the militants in addition to their routine job.
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