Terrorists in J&K use mobile phones of locals for covert coordination: Official

Terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), especially those who carried out three terror attacks in Rajouri and Poonch, used 'Tailored Communication Apps' for coordinating with top commander of Lashkar in Pakistan-occupied Jammu Kashmir (PoJK). Investigation so far has revealed that terrorists are using applications on mobile phones of locals in the Poonch-Rajouri district for communication and then wipe out the data from the phone. 

Sources have informed Republic that the terrorists use the phones of locals in lieu of money or threat. During the investigation of three terror attacks in Poonch and Rajouri this year, it came to light that the terrorists were in touch with the Lashkar Commander, Saifullah Sajjad Jatt alias Langda, who is the launch commander of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) for Jammu region. 

Terrorists download apps on mobiles of locals 

Agencies suspect that this handiwork of terrorists has been introduced by Lashkar Commander Saifullah Sajjad Jatt, who was active in South Kashmir for a decade as terrorism made a  headstart in Jammu and Kashmir in the 1990s, and is now settled in Pakistan’s Punjab province.

An official privy to the development told Republic that terrorists install these apps for a few minutes and then make calls to their handlers across the border. They convey their message and take the order, after which they delete the application from the mobile phones. “In some cases, it was found that locals were paid money for using their mobile phones for communication. These terrorists are aware of the demography of the area and are moving tactically to skip the security cordon that has been in place at multiple locations in the Pir Panjal. Even they moved back and forth after Dhangri attack for almost 15 days,” the official said. 

The terrorists in Poonch and Rajouri have carried out the killing of 17 people, including 10 personnel of Indian Army, in three attacks - 7 in the Dhangri village of Rajouri on January 1-2; 5 Army jawans in Bhatta Durriyan area of Poonch on April 20 and subsequently, 5 jawans of Indian Army’s Special Forces in Kandi area of Rajouri on May 5.