Terror groups in Kashmir use women to ‘honey trap’ youths

Intelligence officials have warned that Pakistan-based terror groups are using women to ‘honey trap’ to woo Kashmiri youths towards terrorism and use them as agents or human carriers for delivering arms from one place to another or acting as guides to infiltrating terrorists.

According to a report, an intelligence-based operation had led to the arrest of Syed Shazia, a woman in her early 30s from Bandipore, a fortnight ago. It was revealed that she had many accounts on social networking sites such as Facebook and Instagram which many youths in the Kashmir Valley followed, they said.

Reportedly, officials from the central security agencies had been keeping a watch on the Internet Protocol (IP) address used by Shazia for several months. It has been note that she used to converse with youths and would promise to meet them only if a certain ‘consignment’ was delivered from one place to another, the officials said.

Intelligence report said that Shazia had been in touch with some officials in the J&K Police department as well, but the officials termed it a usual tactic of ‘double-cross’ as she used to report troops’ movement and ‘not so sensitive’ information to her handlers across the border.

However, during interrogation, she told the investigators about the presence of some more women in militants ranks who had been tasked with luring youths into terrorism.

Meanwhile, after receiving inputs about terrorists trying to smuggle arms and ammunition into the city, a week before her arrest on November 17, the Jammu and Kashmir Police had arrested Aysia Jan (28) for carrying 20 grenades in Lawaypora on the city outskirts. Other than grenades, the police had also seized ammunition from her possession.

Apparently, the officials began to monitor her while probing a case in September last year when the police killed Abu Ismail, the Lashkar-e-Toiba terror chief in the Valley, and Chotta Qassim.

Both, Abu Ismail and Chotta Qassim were involved in last year’s gunning down of Amarnath pilgrims in which eight people were killed.

The documents and materials that were seized from the encounter site in the outskirts of Srinagar city, indicated that an unidentified woman hailing from North Kashmir was involved in supplying arms and ammunition to the two terrorists.

Later, the woman was identified as Syed Shazia, in April this year. The investigating officials said that continuous monitoring of her social media presence showed that she was getting diktats from across the border for honey trapping and luring youths into militancy from across the border.

Further in to the investigation, it was seen that she was in constant touch with Sherwan alias Ali of Jaish-e-Mohammed terror outfit who introduced her to Pakistan-based terrorists Sufiyan and Qasim Khan Gauri.

Syed Shazia has also started working as an overground worker from Jaish terror group and was acting as the main conduit for ensuring delivery of weapons to other parts of the Valley.

Apparently there was a mole in the police itself, before her arrest, a special police officer hailing from Handwara was picked up by police for informing Shazia that her phone had been kept on monitoring. Irfan was the special police officer who was passing information to Shaiza.

Finally, Shazia was arrested under various sections of Ranbir Penal Code (the equivalent of IPC) and Arms Act.

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