Ex-terrorists under watch, measures being strengthened to deal with air-dropping of weapons: J&K DGP

The DGP said that police are keeping an eye on such elements who were active terrorists at some point in time and are now released from jails after serving their sentences.

Jammu:Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police (DGP) Dilbag Singh on Sunday said they are keeping a close watch on the activities of former terrorists who have been released from jails amid attempts by Pakistan-based handlers to recycle them into terrorism. Singh also said several measures have been taken to counter the dropping of weapons and narcotics with the help of drones from across the border and more such measures are in the pipeline.

"This (recycling of former terrorists) is not a problem related to the Jammu province alone. There are numerous examples where such terrorists (after their release from jails) became active again for a second time, a third time or even a fourth time in the valley, but most of them stand eliminated," the police chief told reporters here.

He said police are keeping an eye on such elements who were active terrorists at some point in time and are now released from jails after serving their sentences. "We are keeping a close eye on their activities and will definitely take action if they are found involved (in terror activities again)," Singh said, replying to a question about attempts from Pakistan to rope in former terrorists to carry out terror acts in Jammu and Kashmir.

A recycled terrorist, Aslam Sheikh, a resident of Basant Garh, was arrested for his involvement in the twin bomb blasts inside parked buses in Udhampur district during the intervening night of September 28 and 29. Two people were injured in the first explosion. Working at the behest of Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Sheikh had received a consignment of five improvised explosive devices (IEDs) dropped through a drone near the international border here a few days before the blasts.

Singh said most of the Pakistani terrorist handlers have operated in Jammu and Kashmir, have an old association with the ultras in jail or outside here and try to establish contact with them.

"In this (Udhampur twin blast) case, the same thing happened. It is easy to identify them because they have a terrorist background. Contrary to it, we have hybrid terrorists who hardly have any record of terror-related incidents. They become terrorists only after their first activity," the DGP said, adding that attempts are being made to misguide these people towards the wrong path.

Asked about the challenge posed by the use of drones to drop weapons and drugs from across the border, he said police and other security forces are able to intercept most of the dropped material. "With the help of technology and human intelligence, we are successfully intercepting the weapons and narcotics and have busted several modules (involved in weapons and narcotics smuggling) in the recent past, including one operating from Jammu.

We are working to ensure that we have better counter-measures on the ground to thwart all such attempts," Singh said. Replying to a question about possible links between terrorists in Punjab and those operating in Jammu and Kashmir, he said no such direct link has so far been found.

"Whatever is happening in Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir, including air-dropping of weapons and narcotics to fund terror activities, is controlled by handlers sitting in Pakistan. They are common in both cases but no direct link between the terrorists in Punjab and those operating in Jammu and Kashmir has been found as of now," he said.

Replying to another question, the DGP said there was no major involvement of women in terror-related activities but they were found involved in the narco trade. "We do not differentiate between a woman and a man as the law is equal for both of them," he said.

On a proposal to install full-body scanners on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway to check the smuggling of weapons into Kashmir, Singh said a committee is working on it. He said most of the areas in Jammu and Kashmir are still terror-free. "Attempts are being made to revive terrorism, especially in the Jammu region, but all such attempts are being thwarted by the alert police and security forces, with the busting of several modules this year," he added.

The DGP said the use of sticky bombs by the LeT is a challenge for the security forces. "Most of the sticky bombs are being supplied through the LeT. There are several incidents where sticky bombs were used in the Jammu province and one in Kulgam district of south Kashmir," he said, adding that these bombs are associated with a particular terror group and are a "serious threat" because these are ready to use and easy to handle. (Agency inputs)